Mongla (Bagerhat) 21 (V7N): A case has been filed against 22 local BNP leaders and activists, including the convener and former mayor of Mongla Municipality BNP, and the newly elected general secretary of Mongla Port Berth and Ship Operators Association, Md. Zulfiqar Ali. The case was lodged by Md. Titumir Chokder, representing a labor organization affiliated with the National Citizens Party (NCP), at Mongla Police Station on Tuesday night. Mongla Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Anisur Rahman confirmed the filing of the case but declined to provide further comment. The case has raised fears of escalating tension in Mongla Port.

The plaintiff, Md. Titumir Chokder, stated that during the previous Awami League regime, Awami League officials controlled the Mongla Port Workers' Organization and acted against the interests of general workers. Following the student and public uprising, BNP leader Zulfiqar Ali allegedly took control and began exercising leadership and authority over the workers' organization through his followers. In response, the NCP-supported workers' organization called for a meeting at the organization's premises (Shramik Sangha) on April 29. However, on the afternoon of April 28, while preparations were underway for the meeting's stage and decorations, BNP-led workers allegedly attacked, beat, and vandalized the setup.

In this heated situation, when NCP-supported workers prepared for their rally at the scheduled time on the afternoon of April 29, BNP-supported workers also called for a rally at the same location. Law enforcement officers were deployed across Mongla Municipality to manage the situation. Both BNP and NCP-supported workers remained resolute in carrying out their announced programs. That afternoon, a scuffle, attack, and beating ensued between the two sides as several leaders of the central workers' wing of the NCP and their local supporters marched toward the workers' union hall, resulting in injuries to several workers. Although both sides filed opposing complaints with the Mongla Police Station at the time, no case was filed then.

Nearly three weeks after this incident, on Tuesday night, Md. Titumir Chokder, a leader of the NCP's workers' wing, filed the case as the plaintiff. The plaintiff alleged that he and the central leaders of the NCP's workers' wing were attacked and beaten on the public road, and their female leader, Riya Parveen, was molested. The case names 22 leaders and activists from various BNP organizations, including Md. Zulfiqar Ali, the convener of Mongla Municipality BNP, former municipal mayor, and general secretary of the Port Berth Ship Operators Association, as well as a former municipal councilor and Jubo Dal leader. In his reaction to the case, BNP leader Zulfiqar Ali asserted that he and the other leaders and activists were implicated in this case to tarnish his popularity and the image of BNP.

Meanwhile, the municipal BNP organized an emergency press conference at the Mongla Press Club on Wednesday afternoon to protest the case filed on Tuesday night. In a written statement, municipal BNP joint convener Md. Emran Hossain alleged that the case was filed with the intention of damaging the popularity and image of BNP. He also warned that the local BNP would launch a strong movement if the case was not withdrawn promptly. In response to the case, the BNP also held two protest meetings and demonstration processions in the municipal city on Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, fueling fears of increased tension in the area.

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