AL activists stage armed rallies, vandalise property in Gopalganj

Activists of the Awami League, whose activities are currently banned, and its affiliated organisations staged armed processions in Gopalganj town on Sunday, carrying locally made weapons, vandalising public property and blocking roads.

According to local residents and eyewitnesses, the protesters damaged a police armoured personnel carrier (APC), a police box and other structures. They also smashed the glass frontage of a supermarket, set tyres on fire at several locations and reopened the long-locked district Awami League office.

The protesters also renamed Hadi Square at Gopalganj Science and Technology University as Joy Bangla Square.

The processions continued from around 11am to 1:45pm, disrupting traffic on Gopalganj-Patgati Road. Local residents said normal activities gradually resumed after the protesters left around 2pm, with shops reopening and rickshaws and vans returning to the streets.

Six BGB platoons deployed

BGB Public Relations Officer Md Shariful Islam confirmed the deployment in a press release on Sunday, saying six platoons had been sent to ensure public safety and maintain law and order.

The personnel would work alongside other law enforcement agencies in accordance with the district magistrate’s instructions, he added.

Police, BGB, Special Response Battalion (SRB) and Armed Police Battalion (APBn) personnel were deployed at key locations, including Launchghat, the market area and the district administration office.

Intelligence surveillance was also stepped up.

Local residents said police made no visible attempt to stop the processions or prevent the vandalism.

Armed processions across town

Locals and eyewitnesses said activists from different unions gathered at Ghosherchar Uttarpara in Latifpur union around 8am. Separate processions later started from Ghosherchar Dakshinpara, Mia and Nabibagh.

The groups entered the town through BSCIC Bridge and converged near the old Launchghat Bridge before marching to the district Awami League office in Bankpara and reopening it.

Many protesters carried machetes, Chinese axes, spears, oars and bamboo poles, while some wore helmets.

They put up a banner reading “Government Bangabandhu College” at the college entrance. Protesters also smashed the rear-view mirror of a police APC and the windows of a police box before writing “Joy Bangla” on the vehicle.

District Chhatra League leaders Raju Khan and Shamsul Haque addressed a brief rally at Launchghat.

Gopalganj SP transferred to Feni, DC withdrawn

The government has transferred Gopalganj Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Habibullah to Feni and appointed Feni SP Pratyush Kumar Majumdar as his replacement amid tension in the district.

As part of a wider administrative reshuffle, the government also transferred four other senior police officers and reshuffled three major generals of the Bangladesh Army on Sunday.

Under the reshuffle, Maj Gen Touhidul Ahmed has been appointed Director General of the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (Ansar-VDP), while Maj Gen Hussain Muhammad Masihur Rahman has been appointed Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS).

Outgoing Ansar-VDP Director General Maj Gen Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud has been recalled to the Bangladesh Army.
The Ministry of Public Administration issued a gazette notification in this regard, signed by Deputy Secretary Mohammad Nur-e-Alam by order of the President.

Separately, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued two orders announcing the transfers of four other senior police officers.

Abdul Quddus Chowdhury, deputy inspector general (DIG) of Chattogram Range, has been transferred to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) as Additional Police Commissioner (DIG). Mohammad Shamsul Haque, Additional Police Commissioner (DIG) of the DMP, has been transferred to Chattogram Range as its new DIG.

Mia Masud Karim, DIG of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), has been transferred to the Special Branch (SB) in Dhaka as DIG, while Mohammad Rashidul Islam Khan, additional DIG attached to the office of the DIG of Barishal Range, has been transferred to the Industrial Police in the same rank.

The orders, signed by Deputy Secretary Tousif Ahmed by order of the President, stated that the transfers had been made in the public interest and would take immediate effect.

Meanwhile, sources at the Ministry of Public Administration said Gopalganj Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Md Arif-uz-Zaman had been withdrawn from his post. However, no official order on his next posting had been issued by the time this report was filed.

Government monitors tension 

The government is monitoring the situation in Gopalganj and may increase security deployment if violence escalates, home ministry sources said.

The issue was discussed at Sunday's Cabinet meeting. The government has increased police and BGB deployments but wants to avoid casualties and damage to property.

A ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government would not allow the situation to go out of control and would take legal action if violence increased.

Sources also alleged that Awami League activists were being incited from abroad and that party activists from different districts had travelled to Gopalganj. Authorities fear possible attacks on government installations and have brought in additional police personnel from neighbouring districts.

BNP offices, shops torched in Tungipara

The violence followed attacks on BNP and Jubo Dal offices and shops in Tungipara on Saturday night.

Several shops at Khalek Bazar, the Kushli union BNP office and the BNP office at Nilfa Bazar were attacked and set on fire. A personal office was also torched.

Tungipara BNP Organising Secretary Moktar Hossain Molla blamed activists of the activities-banned Awami League, its youth wing Jubo League and student wing Chhatra League for the attacks.

Case complainant hacked in Tungipara

Sub-Inspector Moslem Ali, who filed a case over the vandalism and arson involving a police vehicle in Tungipara, was hacked and injured by miscreants.

Tungipara Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Ayub Ali confirmed the incident, saying Moslem Ali had filed an anti-terrorism case on Friday, accusing 2,224 people, including 224 named individuals and 2,000 unnamed persons.

The case was filed over an attack on and the burning of a police pickup van during violence in Gopalganj on 10 November.