Five people, including senior joint convenor of the Moulvibazar district unit of the National Citizen Party (NCP), Ehsan Zakaria, have been detained and sent to court following a clash between two factions of the party in Kulaura.
The incident, which reportedly stemmed from a longstanding internal dispute, took place on Thursday night (27 August) in the North Bazar area of Kulaura town along the Kulaura-Barlekha-Chandgram road. Police said the confrontation involved supporters of Ehsan Zakaria and former district joint coordinator Tamim Ahmed.
According to police and the case details, tensions between the two groups had been building over internal disagreements and competition for influence within the local party organisation. The situation escalated at around 8pm when members of the two factions became involved in an argument before the confrontation turned violent.
Police from Kulaura Police Station reached the area after receiving information about the clash and moved to bring the situation under control. Five people were detained from the scene on allegations of provoking the confrontation and creating disorder. Those detained were Ehsan Zakaria, NCP leaders Tofayel Ahmed, Sahel Ahmed, Fahim Ahmed Jony and Sohag Mia.
Around 10 people were reportedly injured during the clash. The injured received treatment at Kulaura Health Complex, although details of the nature and severity of their injuries were not immediately available.
A case was filed at Kulaura Police Station on Thursday night by Tamim Ahmed, a former joint coordinator of the Moulvibazar district NCP. Ten people were named in the case, while another 10 to 15 unidentified individuals were also accused.
The named accused are Ehsan Zakaria, 32; Tofayel Ahmed, 27; Sahel Ahmed, 22; Fahim Ahmed Jony, 28; Sohag Mia, 22; Juned Ahmed, 24; Tarek Jamil, 26; Ruhul Amin, 36; Ariful Islam, 25; and Ifti, 21.
According to the case statement, the dispute between the two groups had continued for some time over internal differences and attempts to establish influence within the district organisation. The disagreement reportedly intensified on Thursday night before members of the two sides confronted each other.
Tamim Ahmed alleged that Ehsan Zakaria had demanded Tk500,000 in connection with including their names in the district committee. He claimed that after refusing to pay, he faced opposition from Zakaria. Tamim also alleged that after he published posts on Facebook concerning what he described as irregular activities by Zakaria and his associates, he received death threats from Ehsan Zakaria and Tarek Jamil.
Tamim further alleged that on the night of 27 August, while travelling from Moulvibazar towards Barlekha, he and others were attacked with locally made weapons in the North Bazar area of Kulaura. He claimed that local residents later detained those involved and handed them over to police.
These allegations were made in the case filed by Tamim Ahmed. The claims could not be independently verified, and the immediate response of the accused to the allegations was not available.
Moulvibazar district NCP convenor Khaled Ahmed said he had learnt about the confrontation between the two groups. He said the party would investigate the incident internally and take organisational measures against those found to have been involved.
Kulaura Police Station officer-in-charge Sheikh Zahirul Islam Munna said police had intervened after receiving information about the clash and had brought the situation under control. He confirmed that a case had been filed against 10 named individuals and that the five detained on Thursday night were sent to court on Friday morning.
Police are continuing efforts to detain the remaining accused named in the case. The incident has also brought renewed attention to internal disagreements within the newly formed political organisation and the potential for factional disputes to escalate into public confrontations at the local level.
