9 injured in BNP factional clash over rice slips

A clash between two factions of Baravita union BNP over shares of Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) rice slips for Eid have left nine injured, including the general secretaries of both groups.

The clash took place at Baravita Bazar of Phulbari upazila in Kurigram yesterday evening. Former Phulbari upazila BNP General Secretary Abdul Mannan confirmed the matter.

The injured are Nayeem Sardar, son of Baravita Union BNP President Abdul Hai Badal Sardar; Hafizur Rahman, general secretary of one faction; Abdul Jalil, general secretary of the other faction; BNP activists Musa Mia, Shaharul Islam, Moksedul Islam, Babu Mia, Ziaur Rahman and Atiqul Islam. Of them, Atiqul Islam and Nayeem Sardar have been admitted to Kurigram General Hospital. The others have received treatment at Phulbari Upazila Health Complex.

Shah Alam, a member of the Union Parishad which is in charge of distributing VGF rice slips, said, "BNP leader Badal Sardar and his son Nayeem, along with 15-20 BNP men, came to the union parishad office on Sunday noon. They demanded VGF rice slips from us. We expressed our inability to comply. Later, they misbehaved, ejected us from the room, and locked it."

Upon hearing this, the other BNP group arrived as well, and tensions flared between the two groups.

Badal Sardar claimed that he had received a complaint that several VGF rice slips were being sold off by members.

"There should be no irregularities in the distribution of VGF rice. The genuinely needy people of the area should get rice, so that is why I went to the union parishad office. I did not demand rice slips or misbehave with anyone," he said, adding that, "Later, I was at the party office having iftar when, Ariful Islam, son of former upazila BNP president Nazir Hossain, came with his people and attacked us.'

However, Ariful Islam claimed he had gone to Baravita Bazar to have iftar when Badal Sardar and his people attacked them with home-made weapons.