Upazila polls candidate in ICU after assault; 2 held

Two people were arrested early yesterday in connection with a case filed over the abduction and assault of an upazila chairman candidate in Natore.

Delwar Hossain, a chairman aspirant for the upcoming Singra upazila parishad election, is now undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital in a comatose state, reports our Natore correspondent, quoting the ICU department in-charge Md AHM Mostafa.

After scrutinising CCTV footage collected from the district election office, the site of his brief abduction, police conducted raids in Singra upazila and arrested Nazmul and Babu around 2:00am, said Natore Superintendent of Police Md Tariqul Islam.

The arrests were made after the victim's elder brother, Mozibur Rahman, filed the case last night with Natore Sadar Police Station, accusing 20-25 unnamed people.

According to the case statement, Delwar was abducted by his political rivals in broad daylight on Monday afternoon and was beaten before being left in front of his home around an hour later. Delwar Hossain suffered injuries to his head and legs, according to the doctors.

From the CCTV footage, police identified Singra upazila Sechchasebak League general secretary Antar Parvez Mohan, Sherkol union Jubo League's former president Sanwar Hossain, Kolom union Jubo League secretary Nazmul Haque Kajal, Singra upazila Jubo League vice-president Rifad Mahmud Pias.

All those involved in the incident of abduction and beating are known as close associates of another chairman candidate, Lutful Habib Rubel. CCTV footage showed Rubel's private car parked near the scene at the time of the incident.

When asked, Rubel told our correspondent that he was not aware that his car was there at the crime scene.

Rubel is the joint general secretary of Singra Upazila Awami League unit and he recently resigned from the chairman post of Sherkol Union Parishad. He is also the brother-in-law of State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak.