15 Killed in Political Conflicts in Chattogram Over 13 Months

In Chattogram, 15 people have been killed in political conflicts over the past 13 months. Among these, 10 deaths occurred due to internal disputes within the BNP. In addition to political rivalry, killings have increased because of conflicts among various criminal groups in the city.

BNP local leaders are concerned about the situation ahead of the national parliamentary elections. The shooting of a BNP candidate during election campaigning has raised questions about law and order. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said in a statement on Thursday that such incidents are carried out to embarrass the current caretaker government and obstruct the upcoming national elections.

The statement also mentioned that after the fall of the Awami autocratic rulers, criminals are creating instability and trying to gain advantage through lawlessness.

On Wednesday evening, a BNP candidate was shot in the Chalitoli area of Chattogram city. In the same area on Thursday afternoon, a rickshaw driver named Idris Ali was shot in the knee by miscreants who then fled.

Earlier, Wednesday night in Bagwan, Raujhan, a shooting incident between two factions left five people injured. Among the injured, three were followers of former Chattogram North District BNP convener Golam Akbar Khandakar, and two were followers of the party’s central vice chairman (suspended) Gias Uddin Qader Chowdhury.

Of the 10 killings in BNP internal disputes in Chattogram over the past 13 months, seven occurred in Raujhan. The deceased in Raujhan include Alamgir Alam, Abdul Hakim, Komor Uddin, Md. Ibrahim, Manik Abdullah, Muhammad Selim, and Didarul Alam. In addition, members were killed in clashes in Mirsharai and Baklia. During a banner-related clash in Khulshi, a Jubo Dal member was shot and later died.

Five banned Awami League activists were also killed in Raujhan over the past 13 months. Local leaders stated that political rivalry did not cause the shooting of the BNP candidate; it was a result of conflicts between two criminal groups. However, they believe it may affect conspiracies to delay the national elections.

On Wednesday evening, Chattogram-8 BNP candidate and city convener Ershad Ullah, along with four others, were shot during election campaigning. Among them, Sarwar Hossain was killed. Police said Sarwar had 15 cases against him.

These incidents are primarily due to rivalries among criminal groups and not direct political conflicts. Photos and videos of Sarwar attending BNP rallies and meetings on Facebook have been documented.

Chattogram City Police Commissioner said there is no need to panic, and several armed individuals have already been arrested.

On August 5 last year, 945 weapons were looted from various police stations in Chattogram city, of which 780 have been recovered. The unrecovered weapons could be used in criminal activities.

Akhtar Kabir Chowdhury, Secretary of Citizens for Good Governance (SUJAN) in Chattogram, said that due to the failure of law enforcement agencies, criminals are not hesitant to kill people in public. If armed individuals are not arrested, controlling crime will become difficult.

Khaborwala/TSN