-- Local admin imposes Sec 144

-- AL observes hartal protesting minister’s visit

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-- Ruling party men attack cops

-- OC hurt in AL men attack

A police officer was injured today in an attack by Awami League activists, who are observing a hartal in Bijoynagar upazila of Brahmanbaria protesting the visit of Fisheries and Livestock Minister Sayedul Haque in the upazila.

Earlier, district administration imposed section 144 in four upazilas of Brahmanbaria including Bijoynagar after local AL enforced the hartal ahead of the minister’s visit.

Agitating ruling party activists threw brick bats and stones towards the on duty law enforcers at Chandura just after the minister crossed the area around 1:00pm.

Nabinagar Police Station Officer-in-charge Md Imtiaz Ahmed sustained head injury in the attack and was rushed to a local hospital, reports our correspondent quoting Ali Arshad, officer-in-charge of Bijoynagar Police Station.

Additional Magistrate of Brahmanbaria Shahanur Alam said the section 144 has been imposed in Brahmanbaria Sadar, Ashuganj, Bijoynagar and Sorail upazila from 6:00am to 12:00 midnight to avoid any untoward incident centering the visit of the minister, who is scheduled to inaugurate a newly built upazila livestock hospital there.

Colleagues taking Nabinagar Police Station Officer-in-charge Md Imtiaz Ahmed after he sustained head injury when agitating ruling party activists threw brick bats and stones towards the on duty law enforcers at Chandura in Bijoynagar upazila of Brahmanbaria on Sunday, April 23, 2017. Photo: Star

The local Awami League leaders became furious and enforced the hartal as Obaidul Moktadir, lawmaker from Brahmanbaria-3 constituency, was not invited at the programme.

Meanwhile, supporters and activists of Awami League and Jubo League brought out processions at different places of the town protesting the minister’s visit.

Ruling party supporters lock into an altercation with law enforcers when the lawmen resisted their procession at Chandura in Bijoynagar of Brahmanbaria, on Sunday, April 23, 2107. Photo: Masuk Hridoy

In some areas, the ruling party activists put electric poles and tree logs on the road to resist the minister from entering the town.

At Chandura in Bijoynagar, AL supporters locked into an altercation with law enforcers when the lawmen resisted their procession.

Earlier last evening, the administration decided to deploy two platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), five sections of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), members of Armed Police Battalion (APBn) in the district town.

Meanwhile, protesters blasted two crude bombs in front of the Livestock Development Centre Hospital, just after the minister left the place after the inauguration of the hospital around 2:30 pm.