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Five activists of the BNP sustained bullet injuries in a gun attack allegedly carried out by rivals over establishing dominance in Raozan upazila of Chattogram district on Wednesday night.
The incident occurred around 11:45pm in Chowdhurypara area under Ward No. 4 of Bagowan union, according to police and locals.
The injured were identified as Abdullah Sumon, general secretary of the upazila unit of Sramik Dal, and activists Ismail, Khorshed, Rubel and Sohel.
Of them, Sumon’s condition is reported to be critical.
All five are currently undergoing treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), UNB reports.
Locals said a group of unidentified assailants arrived on motorcycles and in a car before opening fire indiscriminately on the BNP men.
Hearing their screams, residents rushed to the scene and rescued the injured, taking them to CMCH.
Locals alleged that police reached the spot about an hour and a half after the shooting, which caused panic in the area.
They claimed that the attack stemmed from a conflict between two local BNP factions over establishing supremacy.
Md Jabbar, a local resident, said the assailants fled the scene soon after the attack.
Raozan Upazila BNP president Jasim Uddin Chowdhury said the victims were returning home after attending a preparatory meeting ahead of the party’s observance of ‘Revolution and Solidarity Day’ on November 7.
He said nine to ten armed men ambushed the BNP and affiliated activists in Bagowan Kuiyapara Chowdhurypara area, adding that Sumon’s condition remained critical.
The officer-in-charge of Raozan Police Station could not be reached despite repeated attempts.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Md Belayet Hossain of the Raozan–Rangunia Circle said police had been deployed in the area to prevent any further untoward incidents, and an investigation was underway.
Earlier in the day, BNP’s Chattogram-8 candidate Ershad Ullah was shot and injured during a campaign event in the city’s Bayezid area, where one of his associates, Sarwar Babla, was killed.
On October 25, local Jubo Dal leader Md Alamgir Alam was killed in a similar gun attack in the same upazila.
Meanwhile, at least 17 people have been killed in the upazila over the past year, including 12 BNP activists, four Chhatra and Jubo League men, and one expatriate.