BNP lawmaker from Saidpur (Nilphamary-4 constituency) Amzad Hossain Sarkar also handed over one of them to police on charges of stealing bicycle. The police, however, released him after a few hours.

Amzad stopped his jeep in front of the electric shop of Bidhan Chandra Roy, 42, on Shaheed Dr Zikrul Haque road at around 10:00am and started to beat him for hanging up a calendar with the picture of Amzad's rival Prof Mahfuzur Rahman, Bidhan told newsmen.

Earlier on Thursday, Amzad's men forcibly took BNP worker Kazi Azizul Islam, 34, to the party office at around 9:00pm and beat him up for distributing the same calendar, the victim told reporters. Later, he was handed over to the police as a cycle lifter.

The incidents aroused strong resentment within the local party unit. Some BNP leaders and workers on condition of anonymity criticised Amzad for such behaviour. The lawmaker could not be contacted for comments.