The raid -- a second in 10 days -- came after up to 25 Proshika rebel employees from its different units, led by a deputy director who was suspended from the NGO a day before, marched to the head office and came under attack with brickbats at about 11:00am.

Later in the day, police arrested a retired army man, Jahangir, believed to be the bodyguard of Proshika President Qazi Faruque Ahmed.

Witnesses said the rebel employees, alleging Jahangir launched the attack on them, beat him up in the presence of police minutes before he was arrested.

Police on May 2 sealed the people's culture wing of Proshika and seized documents in a raid on its headquarters to find proof of the NGO's alleged antigovernment activities.

Law enforcers picked up 39 Proshika staffers in an eight-day dragnet last month, linking them to the much-hyped April 30 deadline of the main opposition Awami League for unseating the government.

MARCH TO PROSHIKA
The runaway employees yesterday carried banners and placards that read "Save Proshika from Qazi Faruque" and "We Want Politics-Free Proshika".

Proshika employees at the head office pelted the rebel employees with brickbats on arrival there, injuring four of them, and obstructed their way in.

The injured are Shahdat Hossain Sachchu, Saidur Rahman, Khandaker Anwar Kamal and Harun Ur Rashid -- all part of the rebel group that was preparing allegedly under police protection for the march from Mirpur stadium, about 500 metres off the Proshika office, since early morning.

More police forces from Mirpur and Pallabi police stations raced to the scene and busted into the Proshika head office to arrest employees in the wake of a clash between the two rival groups. Police took some injured employees to nearby clinics and hospitals in their vehicles.

Local leaders of ruling BNP's student chapter, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), threw their weight behind the demonstrating employees. "We support your demonstration as Proshika is involved in antigovernment activities," Shamim Ahsan, convenor of JCD's Mirpur ward No.7 unit, told the agitators.

Shahdat Hossain, who was suspended from Proshika as its deputy director (field operation) on Monday on an allegation of conspiring against the organisation, filed a case with Pallabi Police Station.

"We want Proshika free from politics. But our president (Qazi Faruque Ahmed) has meddled in politics these days and we protest it," said Kamal, another rebel employee who has been working for 12 years with Proshika and now is the central coordinator of the organisation.

Farzona Afroza, an assistant coordinator associate for Pallabi, accused Qazi Faruque of persuading his employees into taking part in "antigovernment activities" ahead of the April 30 opposition deadline.

"I was instructed to stage a demonstration to lay siege to the Sangsad Bhaban from April 26-30," Afroza said, adding Shahdat led yesterday's march to the Proshika headquarters.

No-one was allowed to go in or out of the Proshika office as police ringed it. A woman employee, Shahin, who was allowed to leave office shortly before 5:00pm, told The Daily Star that police let her go on special consideration as one of her relatives had a cardiac arrest.

Assistant Commissioner of Police of Mirpur Zone Qamrul Ahsan said police believed the arrestees were involved in the attack. He said nothing was seized from the office.

Proshika in a statement alleged the JCD and Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, another front organisation of the ruling BNP, attacked its head office with the help of some sacked employees and police did not take action against the attackers.

"Some protesters have been working at different branches of Proshika and were misled by somebody. Nobody at the main office attacked them. It is a just political game," Gias Uddin Ahmed, director (administration) of Proshika, told The Daily Star.

HC ALLOWS GOVT TO RUN PROSHIKA'S 2 SISTER UNITS
UNB adds: The High Court has allowed an ad hoc committee formed by the government to run the activities of Ava and Pathakoli, sister units of Proshika.

A division bench of Justice Md Joynul Abedin and Justice Sharifuddin Chaklader on Monday disposed of a government petition allowing the committee to operate their bank accounts.

On January 26, the Directorate of Social Welfare dissolved the committees of Ava and Pathakoli following allegations of irregularities and formed a five-member ad hoc committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner, Faridpur, to run the two units.

Ava and Pathakoli had filed a writ petition challenging the government action.

Assistant Attorney General Zaman Akter Bulbul submitted that Ava and Pathakoli had been involved in politics and conspiracy against the government.

Counsel for the petitioners Advocate Subrata Chowdhury submitted that the government was out to destroy Ava and Pathakoli, which had been rendering useful services to the poorer section of the people. He submitted that the allegations of indulging in politics and conspiracy against the organisations were baseless.