Comilla: Intense fighting broke out in Comilla Chauddagram on Monday night between leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami. The confrontation arose over comments made on an old Facebook post and escalated into a violent dispute.
The incident, which occurred in Lakshmipur village of Alkara Union, led to the vandalism of several houses and left at least 20 individuals injured; no one is to blame on whose side the violence started.
The clashes occured when Hridoy, a local Jubo Dal activist, commented on a 2020 Facebook post regarding the rape case about Jamaat supporter Mohammad Tarek Chowdhury. This again ignited tension because the case had previously been a discussion among the villagers. On March 16, supporters of Mohammad Tarek Chowdhury became aggressive and allegedly beat up Hridoy, leading to the suggestion of a local meeting to settle the dispute. However, suddenly, one of the debates sparked a fight, with over 200 people drawn into the fight on both sides.
Twenty persons from BNP and about eight from Jamaat were reportedly injured. Some of them were given treatment in the nearby hospitals, while others received first aid. According to Sharif Hossain, general secretary of Alkara Union Jubo Dal, Jamaat-Shibir activists forcefully attacked the houses of BNP so as to peak the climax of the situation. Meanwhile, Jamaat leaders, among whom was Belal Hossain, denied there were political motivations behind the incident. They stated it was a more personal matter resulting from a fight over comments on social media.
Local armed and police forces arrived promptly, positioning to control the situation; as of now, the area is calm. The OC of Chauddagram Police Station, Hilal Uddin Ahmed, revealed that by Tuesday afternoon there had been no complaints from either side, yet he announced his readiness to investigate any such complaints pending receipt.
[Source Credit: Prothomalo]
