Two groups of Chittagong south district unit of BNP locked into a chase and counter-chase over the first meet ing of the convening committee here yesterday afternoon

The affray broke out when the leaders and activists of the deprived faction tried to resist the first meeting of the new convening committee at the party office at Dost Building in front of ChittagongNewMarket

The agitating leaders and activists, who also burnt effigy of Convener Jafrul Islam Chowdhury and padlocked the party office on Sunday, started tAing position in front of the office since 1:00pm.

As the leaders and activists supporting the new committee started coming to the meeting defying a mediumscale downpour, the deprived group tried to resist them from entering the party office resulting in the clash at around 3:30pm.

Police charged baton to disperse both the feuding groups.

Around 15 minutes later, Jafrul Islam along with other leaders and activists of the convening committee entered the party office in a procession and held the meeting.

The meeting was held smoothly without any further disturbance from aggrieved group and the party office was completely under the control of the new convening committee.

.Since the list of 51-member full committee was sent to the central office, the deprived group had been agitating with a demand for forming a new committee, excluding Jafrul Islam from the convener post

Regarding yesterday's incident Joint Convener of the new committee Sheikh Mohammad Mohiuddin said they wanted to work unitedly to increase theparty's strength.

On the other hand. MA Hashem Raju of the aggrieved group said they cannot accept a committee headed by Jafrul.

He alleged that the new committee comprised those loyalists, whom Jafrul managed to get in the committee through furnishing wrong information to the central office, worked for grand alliance candidates from Awami League and LDP against the four-party alliance candidate in the last parliament election.

He demanded steps to form a new committee with inclusion of dedicated and proven leaders.