Assaulters include BCL men; SI injured
A police officer sustained head injury when activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League and local goons attacked the law enforcers for detaining a youth on charge of stalking garment workers in the port city on Wednesday night.
A case was filed with Bayezid Police Station early yesterday accusing 18 persons including BCL leaders and activists and 40 unnamed persons in this connection.
Police and sources said a police team led by Abdus Sabur, officer-in-charge of the police station, conducted a raid at Kunjo Chhaya around 10:30pm on information that a group of stalkers loiter in front of a graveyard in the area to stalk female garment workers on their way back home every night.
On arriving at the spot, police found three youths standing there suspiciously. Sensing danger, two of them fled the spot while police detained the other youth Babul and took him to the OC’s vehicle for interrogation.
As the vehicle started for the police station, BCL city unit office secretary Arshadul Hoque Bachchu phoned the OC and asked him why he had detained Babul, police said.
Soon around 40 to 50 stick-wielding youths led by Bachchu and other BCL leaders including Azad and Selim intercepted the vehicle.
As the OC called for reinforcement, additional police force from the police station rushed to the spot that infuriated the gang. At one stage the mob started throwing stones at the law enforcers that injured SI Jahir Hossoin. Police later left the spot amid protest from the mob.
SI Jahir was admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital with head injuries.
SI Arjun filed a case accusing 18 persons including Azad, Bachchu and Selim and 40 other unnamed persons in this connection at about 1:00am.
Police arrested two accused–Shahin and Mamun– during a raid in the area following the filing of the case.
Contacted, BCL city unit president M R Azim said it was not actually an incident of stalking rather a trifle matter centring a feud among the local youths which was later solved through negotiation.
He blamed police for interfering into the incident and said stalking was not possible in the area as it always remains crowded.
