Clash with police: Bhola JCD president dies from injuries

Noor-e-Alam, president of Bhola Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, who was injured during a clash between cops and BNP men on Sunday, died in a hospital in the capital yesterday.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Golam Nabi Alamgir, president of Bhola BNP, said, "He [Alam] was admitted to Comfort Hospital in Dhaka soon after the clash, and  succumbed to his injuries around 3:00pm yesterday."

In protest, the district BNP has called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Bhola for today, Golam Nabi confirmed. 

Noor-e-Alam had been on life support for three days before passing away. He left behind his wife and a five-year-old daughter, a party source said.

Alam's father-in-law Abdul Bashet Bachchu told The Daily Star, "His CT-scan report clearly shows that three pellets were lodged inside his head."

He alleged the law enforcers opened fire targeting Alam as he was an important JCD leader.

The family initially refused to have an autopsy done on Alam, saying there was "no point".

However, it turned back and came to Dhaka Medical College with the body for autopsy.

The Daily Star could not independently verify the reason for the return.

The clash broke out when police intercepted a procession from the BNP office in Bhola municipality around 11:30am on Sunday.

The procession was part of the party's countrywide demonstrations against the ongoing load shedding and mismanagement in the power sector.

Police fired bullets and lobbed teargas shells, leaving local Swechchhasebak Dal leader Abdur Rahim dead, and scores injured.

At a press briefing after the incident, Saiful Islam, superintendent of Bhola police, had said, "I don't know how the man died, but doctors said he died from a head injury ... Maybe he was struck by brickbats."