At least two police personnel were injured after leaders of activities banned Awami League allegedly launched an attack on a patrol team following an announcement made over a mosque loudspeaker in Sujanagar upazila of Pabna early Thursday.
The incident occurred around 4:30am in Doppara area of Mathurapur. The injured have been identified as Sujanagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mozaffar Hossain and Constable Sabuj Hossain.
According to police sources, a patrol team arrived at the scene in two vehicles following a tip-off that activists, led by the Sujanagar upazila unit President Abdul Wahab, were planning “subversive acts”.
The suspects reportedly intended to exploit the festive atmosphere surrounding a special World Cup football match that had kept the local community awake until the early hours.
Pabna Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Shafiullah said upon noticing the police presence, an announcement was broadcast from a local mosque microphone.
Following the proclamation, more than a hundred activists and several hundred supporters, armed with local weapons, reportedly ambushed the police. During the confrontation, two police vehicles were vandalised and the two officers sustained injuries.
However, Wahab has dismissed the allegations as “false and baseless”. “I cannot even enter the area due to police drives; so there is no question of me being present there,” he claimed.
The leader further alleged that local youths were cooking khichuri after watching the football match when police detained 10–15 individuals.
According to his version of events, residents and women emerged from their homes to secure the release of the detainees, resulting in a scuffle that led to the damage of the police vehicles and injuries to the personnel.
SP confirmed that the injured officers received primary treatment for minor injuries. He added that the process of taking legal action against those involved in the attack is currently underway.
