Awami League summons Narayanganj’s Ivy, Shamim after fierce clashes

The Awami League has summoned its two key leaders in Narayanganj—Mayor Selina Hayat Ivy and MP Shamim Osman after their supporters fought a fierce street battle.

Narayanganj’s Chashara turned into a battlefield Tuesday as supporters of Ivy and Shamim clashed over the eviction of street vendors.

More than 100 people, mostly members of the ruling party’s affiliates, were injured in the clashes.

Police dispersed the two sides by firing into the air and lobbing teargas shells, but tensions are still running high in the city a day after the clashes.

The ruling party’s General Secretary Obaidul Quader told the media on Wednesday that the two were summoned in consultation with the prime minister.

He did not provide details on when it would happen.

Describing it as a “very bad example”, Quader said the home minister has been asked to take steps against those responsible.

“The home minister said an inquiry was opened and those responsible for tainting the party’s image publicly would not be spared. The home minister will also meet the two leaders.”

Another senior cabinet member said that it was ‘beyond their imagination’ that the feud between the two Awami League leaders would result into a street battle.

“We would have intervened if we had known it would turn out the way it did,” said Local Government Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain.

He said it was about time that something needed to be done.

Asked whether the clashes damaged the government’s image, Hossain said, “The government’s image is not involved at all. It’s an outcome of a difference of opinion between two individuals.”