The houses of Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury Nowfel and Mayor Rezaul Karim, and the office of Awami League MP Md Mohiuddin Bachchu were vandalised in Chattogram yesterday.

Besides, the residences of BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Chattogram city unit BNP convener Ershad Ullah were vandalised last night.

Also, two cars were torched and eight were vandalised at the car park of BNP leader Shahadat Hossain.

However, sources at the houses of Nowfel and Bachchu said the attackers were not students while BNP alleged that the ruling party members attacked their leaders' residences.

Around 6:30pm, a section of people from a protest procession attacked the house of the education minister.

Some furniture and glasses of the windows were vandalised at that time, said witnesses. Two vehicles at the parking space were also vandalised.

Dr Salim Akhter Chowdhury, former chief health officer of Chattogram City Corporation and brother-in-law of Nowfel, said several hundred people from a procession carried out the attack.

Nowfel's mother Hasina Mohiuddin said the attackers were not students.

Nowfel is the eldest son of late AL stalwart and former mayor of the port city ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury. He had served as an organising secretary of the party.

Trisha Das, duty officer at Panchlaish Police Station, said they dispatched a team to the minister's house immediately after being informed about the attack.

The attack on Rezaul's house in the Bahaddarhat-Bahaddarbari area was carried out in a similar fashion around 7:30pm.

Chandgaon Police Station Sub-inspector Salma Akter said a team of police rushed to the spot around 7:45pm.

Rezaul is a joint general secretary of the ruling party's Chattogram Metropolitan Unit.

Contacted, Rezaul said some 200 people attacked his house around 7:30pm. "I was at my residence at that time," he said, adding, "They broke open the main entrance and blasted crude bombs in the yard."

"However, they could not enter the house as neighbours and locals resisted them," he said.

Chattogram-10 MP Bachchu's office in Lalkhan Bazar also came under attack in the evening when the protest march reached the area.

The attackers vandalised the furniture of two rooms and later set those on fire, according to witnesses.

Sidraturl Rahi, a witness, said around 10 people from the procession entered the office and carried out the attack.

The attackers were not students, Rahi added.

A torched car at the parking lot of BNP leader Shahadat Hossain’s apartment.

ATTACK ON BNP LEADERS' HOUSE

Mohammad Idris, former office secretary of Chattogram city unit BNP, said Some 200 people threw stones at the car parking of Shahadat Hossain's apartment at Badshah Miah Road.

They torched two cars and vandalised eight others.

He alleged that the attackers were ruling party men.

"After that, the Awami League men also vandalised the residence of Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury in Mehedibagh area in the city," he said.

Afterwards, they vandalised the residence of Chattogram city unit BNP convener Ershad Ullah in Panchlaish Residential Area.

Santosh Chakma, officer-in-charge of Panchlaish Police Station, could not be contacted for comments.Comments from the protest organisers or AL leaders on the identity of the attackers were not available immediately.