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house. This incensed Morshed’s supporters, who retaliated by throwing brickbats at the AL activists, triggering the clash.

Carrying bamboo sticks and planks, activists of both the parties engaged in conflict, which continued for about an hour and half, added witnesses.

Police reached the spot around 12:30pm and fired rubber bullets and teargas shells to bring the situation under control.

Abdur Razzak Milu, president of Gabtali upazila AL, said, “A female BNP leader made derogatory comments about the prime minister while addressing a party programme last Friday. Protesting the incident, we are staging demonstrations. When our procession was passing by Morshed Milton’s house today [yesterday], his supporters threw brickbats at our activists, leading to the clash.”

He added that around six AL men were injured in the incident.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Bogura district Chhatra Dal General Secretary Noore Alam Siddiq Rigan said AL men came in a procession and started vandalising the upazila BNP office in Gabtali town. The clash broke out when BNP activists tried to resist them.

He added that seven BNP men were wounded.

Md Sirazul Islam, officer-in-charge of Gabtali Model Police Station, said, “We have deployed additional police personnel at the spot.”

Abdul Wadud, deputy director of Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahan Medical College Hospital, said eight people injured in the clash were undergoing treatment at the hospital.

This newspaper could not reach BNP leader Morshed Milton for comments as he did not respond to calls.