Chittagong city mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury supporters assault AL MP,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Supporters of former Chittagong city mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury on Thursday assaulted Awami League lawmaker MA Latif while the latter was staging protest on CCCI premises over the new container terminal tender.

The incident took place when some activists of 14-party alliance and supporters of Mohiuddin were approaching the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) office with a procession to besiege it, reports our Chittagong correspondent quoting Habibur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (west).

CCCI President Morshed Murad Ibrahim along with MA Latif, the MP from Chittagong-10 constituency and former president of the organisation, and his men were already holding a rally from around 10:00am on the organisation's premises when the 14-party alliance activists and supporters of Mohiuddin were marching towards the CCCI premises, he said.

The conflict between Mohiuddin, also president of Chittagong city unit AL, and Morshed Murad turned bitterer following protests against the alleged irregularities in the bidding for selecting a private operator of New Mooring Container Terminal at Chittagong Port.

Sources said when the procession was approaching the CCCI office around 11:00am chanting slogans against Mohiuddin, police tried to obstruct it to avert untoward incident but failed to prevent the demonstrators, the CMP deputy commissioner said.

Meanwhile, Latif along with some of his followers rushed to the procession and a scuffle broke out, the deputy commissioner said.

At one stage, angry supporters of Mohiuddin and activists of 14-party alliance knocked Latif down and assaulted him, he added.

Later, he was rescued and taken to the CCCI office.

Mohiuddin has drawn severe criticism from Murad, also a Jatiya Party leader, for his recent protests against the alleged irregularities in the bidding for selecting a private operator of New Mooring Container Terminal at Chittagong Port.

Adding to the conflict, Murad has recently alleged that Mohiuddin's movement in the name of saving Chittagong port is a ploy to get financial advantage from the business community.

Murad also criticised Mohiuddin saying he had become an owner of huge property and several posh houses although he did not have any business or any other sources of income.

Two defamation cases have been filed against the CCCI president for the remarks.