14 roughed up while wooing voters in Pabna

At least 14 leaders and activists of BNP, including the Ishwardi municipality mayor, were manhandled by an angry mob at Ishwardi upazila in Pabna on Sunday afternoon. Witnesses said the mob made the attack on them allegedly for wooing voters on behalf of a controversial chairman candidate fielded by the party in the upcoming election in the upazila. Officer-in-charge of Ishwardi Police Station Biman Kumar Das said the leaders and activists came under the attack while they along with BNP central Chhatra Dal leader Habibur Rahman Habib, Ishwardi municipality mayor Mokhlesur Rahman Bablu and upazila chairman candidate Zarjis Hossain went to Aotapara Haat to seek votes for the next phase upazila election. The incident ensued as the leaders had an altercation with local BNP activists after they got excited to see the two leaders –- Habib and Bablu. At one stage, the angry people swooped on the BNP leaders and beat them, leaving 14 of them injured, according to UNB.