Political tensions escalated in Hatia upazila of Noakhali on Monday evening (24 March) as Abdul Hannan Masud, Senior Joint Coordinator of the National Citizen Party (NCP), and his supporters were allegedly attacked during a rally.
Masud claimed that the assailants were former local BNP members who disrupted the event and launched an assault on his party workers.
The attack took place at around 7:30pm at Jahajmara Bazaar, leaving at least five to six NCP supporters injured.
Enraged by the incident, NCP activists staged an impromptu sit-in protest at the site, demanding justice and the arrest of those responsible.
The unrest quickly spread to the capital as NCP leaders and supporters organised a protest march in Banglamotor at midnight.
The demonstration, which passed through Shahbagh before concluding back at Banglamotor, saw party members vehemently condemning the attack.
During the protest, NCP leaders issued a strong statement, claiming that "an attack on Hannan Masud is an attack on the historic July Revolution" and vowing not to tolerate such aggression.
They called for the immediate arrest of the attackers and their expulsion from political platforms.
According to eyewitnesses, Hannan Masud arrived in Hatia last Saturday to assess the conditions of distressed communities in the area.
Following Iftar, he addressed a street rally at Jahajmara Bazaar. It was then that a group, allegedly identifying as former BNP members, abruptly interrupted the gathering and launched an attack.
Supporters at the scene claim the assailants fled when the crowd retaliated. In response, NCP activists, led by Masud, initiated a sit-in protest at the rally site, vowing to continue their demonstration until their demands for justice were met.
Speaking to the press, Mohammad Yusuf, an NCP supporter present during the protest, corroborated Masud’s claims, stating that the attack was a premeditated attempt to disrupt the party’s political activities.
Hatia Police Station Officer-in-Charge AKM Ajmal Hudaa said that law enforcement had arrived at the scene following reports of the attack.
“We have taken note of the incident and will take appropriate action,” he stated.
With political tensions simmering, the NCP continues to press for stringent measures against the alleged attackers, setting the stage for further confrontations in Bangladesh’s shifting political landscape.
