A case was filed on Sunday against 346 people in connection with Saturday鈥檚 clash between two factions of the ruling Awami League at Bagha upazila in Rajshahi that left at least fifty people injured.
Shahinur Rahman, joint general secretary of Bagha upazila Jubo League and a follower of lawmaker Shahriar Alam, filed the case against 46 named and 200-300 unnamed people on Sunday noon, said Aminul Islam, officer-in-charge of the Bagha police station.
He said that they had arrested seven accused following drives on Saturday night and sent them to jail through a court on Sunday afternoon.
The arrested are Rajshahi district JL organising secretary and Pakuria union parishad chairman Merajul Islam Meraj and former assistant secretary Shahjamal Sarkar, Rajshahi district Chhatra League reception affairs secretary Maruf Hasan, AL activists Golam Mostafa, Motiur Rahman, Nasir Islam, and Md Toronga.
On Saturday, supporters of Bagha upazila parishad chairman and Rajshahi district AL joint general secretary Layeb Uddin Lavlu and Bagha municipality mayor and district AL member Akkas Ali formed a human chain in front of the municipal building at 10:30am protesting against corruption and irregularities of the upazila deeds writers association.
On the other hand, supporters of lawmaker Shahriar Alam also gathered in front of the Bangabandhu Chattar premises, about 100 yards from the other group鈥檚 human chain, protesting against corruption, nepotism, arbitrariness and violent activities of mayor Akkas Ali.
At one stage of their programmes, the duo groups 鈥� one led by Merajul Islam Meraj and another by upazila AL general secretary Ashraful Islam Babul 鈥� locked into a clash at about 10:40am, leaving at least 50 people from both sides injured, witnesses said.
During the clash, AL leaders and activists exploded several crude bombs and were seen carrying machetes and iron pipes among other things.
Later, the law enforcers fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the duo groups and brought the situation under control at about 11:20am
Of the injured, 18 were admitted to Bagha Upazila Health Complex while Bagha upazila AL general secretary Ashraful Islam Babul and Arani union parishad chairman Rafiqul Islam were referred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital in a critical condition.