A violent confrontation between activists and leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the National Citizens Party (NCP) left at least 35 people injured on Wednesday evening in Muradnagar Upazila, Cumilla, according to local reports.
Among the injured were five journalists who were covering the event.
The unrest broke out during a protest rally organised by NCP supporters under the banner of ‘People from all walks of life of Muradnagar Upazila’.
The demonstration aimed to condemn what they described as a smear campaign and conspiracy. The protest targeted Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, local government advisor to the interim government.
Tensions escalated when slogans such as ‘Direct action against extortionists’ and ‘Muradnagar’s soil, Asif’s base’ were chanted by Asif’s supporters.
According to eyewitnesses cited by ‘Prothom Alo’, the situation took a sudden turn when stones and bricks were thrown at the rally participants from the opposing side.
In response, both BNP and NCP members began pelting each other with bricks, leading to widespread chaos. Several journalists covering the event sustained injuries during the exchange.
Chaos Forces Shops to Shut, Residents Flee
As the violence intensified, panic spread through the area. Local businesses immediately shut their shops, and residents fled to safety as the streets became scenes of mayhem.
Supporters of Asif Mahmud blamed the BNP for initiating the attack.
Minazul Haque, convener of the group Nagorik Samaj and participant in the rally, claimed, “BNP men intentionally attacked us. As soon as we brought out the procession, they started throwing brickbats and stones and chased us. Around 50 of our supporters were injured during this time.”
Shekhar, a member of the Muradnagar Sadar union parishad, alleged he suffered a head injury during the attack.
“As soon as we began our rally, BNP men attacked us with brick chunks. I was beaten and sustained a head injury,” he noted.
However, BNP’s local unit convener Mahiuddin Anjan dismissed the accusations. He argued that it was Asif Mahmud’s supporters who sparked the violence.
“Our protest was against false cases filed by Asif Mahmud. His supporters initiated the clash under police protection,” he said.
Just a day before the violence, supporters of BNP leader and former MP Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad had staged a demonstration in Muradnagar, calling for Asif’s resignation.
Observers note that political alliances that once united against the Awami League government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are now showing signs of internal conflict.
The unity displayed during efforts to unseat Hasina appears to be fracturing, as rival factions within the opposition turn on each other.
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