A clash between two sections of the ruling Awami League on Friday during the commemoration of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's 103rd birthday and National Children's Day in Patuakhali resulted in at least 20 members of the ruling party being injured.
The injured were admitted into nearby hospitals. Yet, it was not possible to identify them.
One of them, Abdul Motaleb Hawlader, the Upazila Parishad Chairman and General Secretary of the Awami League's Bauphal upazila unit, was admitted to the Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital with a major injury, according to a medical staff.
On the occasion of the Bangabandhu's birthday, local,AL lawmaker ASM Feroz, Motaleb and district unit AL Joint General Secretary and Bauphal municipal Mayor Ziaul Hoque Jewel announced separate programs.
A leader of the Juba League's upazila unit named Aurobindu told the media that Motaleb and his supporters brought out a celebration procession at 11:00 am.
He claimed that as the procession made its way to the party headquarters in Patuakhali, police blocked it in front of the upazila parishad gate.
As a confrontation between Motaleb and the police broke out, hundreds of followers of Faisal Ahmed Monir, the nephew of the lawmaker and upazila unit AL President Feroza and his men, suddenly attacked Motaleb and his fellows with sharp weapons, according to Aurobindu.
"Both groups promised to hold peaceful events but no one kept their words despite my request," said Md Al Amin, Bauphal upazila nirbahi officer.
Cops were forced to fire the rubber bullets to disperse the groups, said Al Mamun, officer-in-charge of Bauphal police station,
