The Bangladesh Nationalist Party鈥檚 primarily selected candidate for the Chattogram-8 constituency, Ershad Ullah, was shot and injured in an attack by miscreants during his election campaign in the port city Wednesday evening.
Another person injured in the incident, Sarwar Babla, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in the city, while the other injured person, Irfanul Haque Shanto, the joint convenor of Ward No 3 unit of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal, is now undergoing treatment.
The police said that the attack took place at about 6:00pm in the Hajipara area under Bayezid Bostami police station.
The injured were taken to Evercare Hospital in the city, where Ershad and Shanto are now undergoing treatment.
The BNP secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, in a statement Wednesday night, claimed that miscreants opened fire during a public meeting addressed by the BNP鈥檚 Chittagong-8 nominee, Ershad Ullah, in an attempt to embarrass the interim government and disrupt the forthcoming general election.
Chattogram Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner (north) Amirul Islam said that Ershad came under attack while campaigning.
A bullet hit one of his legs and he is now out of danger, he said.
He said that Sarwar Babla died at about 6:30pm while undergoing treatment. Another person, Shanto, was also injured.
He said that they were investigating to identify and arrest the attackers.
Kazi Belal, joint convenor of Chattogram city unit of the BNP, said that Ershad attended a campaign meeting at Ward No 3 and later offered Maghrib prayers at a nearby mosque. 鈥楢s he was walking out of the mosque after prayers, armed assailants suddenly opened fire on Ershad, Sarowar and Shanto.鈥�
BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, in a statement condemning the attack, said, 鈥業t is the responsibility of the law enforcement agencies to control the criminals. Such incidents are condemnable and tragic. Those who want to destabilise politics and obstruct the election may have been involved in this attack.鈥�
He urged the authorities to arrest the attackers immediately.
Earlier, on November 3, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the party鈥檚 candidates for the upcoming national elections, nominating Ershad Ullah for Chattogram-8 (Boalkhali鈥揅handgaon) constituency.
In his statement, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that, after the ouster of the Awami League regime amid a mass uprising, the criminals had again tried to create instability in the country in a bid to gain benefits from anarchy.
He said that the ruthless attack in Chattogram-8 constituency, in which the party nominee Ershad Ullah and several others were injured, was a cruel example of their actions.
Expressing deep concern over this incident, the BNP leader strongly condemned and protested the heinous act.
Fakhrul urged that the miscreants must be firmly suppressed and called for unity among people of all parties and professions to protect democracy, citizens鈥� rights, and safety.
He also demanded the immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of those responsible for the attack on Ershad and others, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
