10 hurt as rival Sunamganj groups clash at AL meeting
Staff Correspondent
Around 10 leaders and activists of Sunamganj Awami League (AL) were injured in a clash between the supporters of AL Presidium Member Suranjit Sengupta and the late presidium member Abdus Samad Azad in front of the party's Dhanmondi office in the capital yesterday.The injured include Nantu Roy, joint secretary of Sunamganj district AL, Amir Hossain, former general secretary of sadar upazila AL, Mahish Kanti Dey and Sayem. The AL men came to attend the last grassroots level meeting between the district leaders and AL President Sheikh Hasina. Sources said Suranjit Sengupta after a meeting with AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil and Organising Secretary Abdur Rahman on Tuesday night cancelled the permission of five leaders of the rival faction to join the meeting with Hasina. The five leaders are Sirajul Islam, Farid Uddin, Abul Kalam, Mobarak Hossain and Bikas Chowdhury Raju. They along with around 100 AL activists took position at the entrance of the Dhanmondi AL office yesterday and chanted slogans demanding Suranjit's immediate expulsion from the party. As supporters loyal to Suranjit came to the party office and tried to defend their leader, the leaders and activists of the Samad Azad faction began beating them. The grassroots level meeting was in progress inside the party office at that time. Police and Hasina's personal security staff brought the situation under control. At the closed-door meeting with Hasina, pro-Samad Azad leaders severely criticised Suranjit. Acting General Secretary of district AL Nurul Huda Mukut told Hasina that Suranjit cancelled their permission to attend the meeting out of rivalry. Mukut also complained that they cannot carry out political activities and hold council meetings in different upazilas because of Suranjit, who always interferes and demands for selecting leaders loyal to him as the president and general secretaries. Many presidents and general secretaries of different upazila AL units also brought the same allegations against Suranjit at the meeting while some favoured him. As Suranjit shouted at the meeting calling Mukut "stupid and liar", Hasina forced him out of the meeting, sources said. Later, AL Presidium Member Tofail Ahmed brought him back to the meeting. Sources said Hasina told Suranjit that she will control the district level activities from now and directed him not to interfere.
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