At least five political activists were injured, three of them critically, after armed local Awami League figures launched an attack on a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) office in Manikchhari upazila under Khagrachhari district on Friday evening. The incident occurred at approximately 7:30 pm in the Sapmara area during an internal preparatory meeting of the BNP.
According to local sources, BNP leaders and activists had gathered at their Sapmara party office to organise preparations for observing National Revolution and Solidarity Day on 7 November. During the meeting, several BNP activists spotted Md Amir Hossain, 40, the younger brother of former Manikchhari Upazila Awami League president and former chairman Md Joynal Abedin, at a shop adjacent to the party office. The activists detained Amir Hossain and brought him inside the BNP office premises.
News of his detention spread rapidly, prompting Awami League activists and their relatives to assemble quickly outside the venue. Armed with sharp weapons, machetes, and wooden sticks, the crowd attacked the BNP office to free Amir Hossain. The assailants forcibly rescued him while assaulting BNP workers present inside, leaving five of them injured with severe bleeding. Local residents subsequently rescued the victims and rushed them to Manikchhari Upazila Health Complex for emergency medical treatment.
Attending doctors at the upazila health complex provided primary care but referred three of the victims to Chittagong Medical College Hospital due to the critical nature of their injuries. The four identified victims are Shofiqul Islam Sujon, 30, Md Shahadat Hossain, 20, Md Saddam Hossain, 28, and Md Faruk Hossain, 30. Manikchhari Upazila BNP President Md Habibur Rahman stated that the physical condition of Shofiqul Islam Sujon, a leader of the party’s volunteer wing Swechchhasebak Dal, remains particularly grave.
Denouncing the assault, Khagrachhari District BNP General Secretary M N Absar alleged that attackers led by Amir Hossain lay in wait before carrying out a pre-planned ambush on the meeting. Upazila BNP leaders confirmed that preparations are underway to file a formal criminal case at Manikchhari Police Station. Meanwhile, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Manikchhari Police Station, Md Rashed Chowdhury, confirmed that the injured were transferred to Chittagong for advanced treatment. He added that police personnel inspected the scene and restored order, though no formal written complaint had been lodged yet. Following the attack, local BNP activists brought out a protest procession in the area.
