After a rally in Cox's Bazar on Saturday where NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari criticised local BNP leadership, their route to Bandarban was temporarily blocked and their rally stage torched, allegedly by angered BNP supporters.
The protesters also vandalised a stage at Janata Market intersection in Chakaria, where they took position to block the NCP convoy.
Police and army personnel had to intervene to remove protesters from the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway and brought the situation at the rally venue under control, reported Dhaka Stream's correspondent, who was covering the NCP rally.
In the afternoon At the rally in Shaheed Daulat Maidan on the premises of the Public Library in Cox's Bazar, Nasiruddin said, "Earlier Shamim Osman was the godfather in Narayanganj, now I hear that a 'new godfather' has come to Cox's Bazar from Shillong. He is grabbing land and extorting.
"This person is against reform. He does not understand proportional representation. We will stop them on the streets."
His apparent reference to Salahuddin Ahmed, a member of the BNP standing committee and former MP from Cox's Bazar-1, angered local BNP supporters and activists.
After the NCP rally ended, angered locals that NCP leaders alleged were BNP activists vandalised and torched the stage.
The NCP leaders were going to Bandarban from Cox's Bazar via Chakaria, where a stage was set up at Janata Market intersection for a short rally.
Locals, including BNP men, vandalised the stage and took position there.
After learning about this development, the NCP convoy halted five kilometres south of the spot, near Dulhazara Safari Park, and waited there for more than an hour from around 5:30pm.
The leaders, including Nasiruddin and Convener Nahid Islam, then resumed their journey towards Bandarban.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (Chakaria Circle) Abhijit Das told Dhaka Stream, "This incident occurred while NCP leaders were travelling from Cox's Bazar to Chakaria.
"Agitated local residents vandalised the NCP's stage and staged a protest at the location [Chakaria]. Later, the situation was brought under control through the intervention of the police and the army. No one could be detained in connection with this incident."
Anik Roy, joint convener of the NCP, told Dhaka Stream, "We want to engage in a new kind of politics. We hope that arguments will be countered only with logic. But they are not interested in any new arrangement. As a result, the party has resorted to its old terrorist activities. Today's incident in Chakaria stands as an example."
Sarwar Alam, former member secretary of Chakaria Upazila Chhatra Dal, who participated in the protest, told Dhaka Stream that people of Chakaria took to the streets to protest against the criticism against Salahuddin Ahmed, a popular leader of Cox's Bazar.
When asked about the BNP men blocking the highway, he said the road was blocked by the general public, and not the party's people.
"We have come here so that no untoward incident happens and to make sure that the cars of NCP leaders are not vandalised."
Mohammad Yunus, the general secretary of BNP's Kakara union unit, said that they had taken to the streets to condemn the statement made by Nasiruddin about Salauddin Ahmed.
"He should immediately withdraw his statement and apologise."
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