Amid escalating tensions over a National Citizens’ Party (NCP) rally in Gopalganj, Awami League activists have accused the army of brutally “crushing people to death with their boots.” The allegations emerged after security forces reportedly attacked an Awami League protest march responding to provocative slogans and speeches made by NCP leaders.
The incident took place Wednesday afternoon in the Gandhiyashur area of Gopalganj Sadar.
Eyewitnesses reported that after inflammatory remarks and slogans about Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman spread from the NCP gathering earlier in the day, local Awami League members, student wing activists, and ordinary citizens launched a protest march. As the march advanced toward the town, clashes broke out with law enforcement. A military unit then arrived and allegedly used “excessive force” in an attempt to control the situation, leaving several Awami League activists injured.
According to protestors, army personnel beat them with batons and kicked various parts of their bodies with their boots — some were allegedly trampled on and severely injured.
Earlier that morning in Ulipur, clashes erupted between Awami League activists and the police, involving gunfire, vandalism, and arson. The Officer-in-Charge of Gopinathpur Police Outpost, Ahmed Biswas, along with two other officers, were injured. The Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rakibul Hasan’s vehicle was also attacked. In response, joint forces were deployed to control the escalating violence.
Superintendent of Police Md. Mizanur Rahman stated that all security forces are working together to restore law and order, and an investigation is underway to determine the parties involved and the nature of the violence.
The NCP, for its part, claimed that the violence was orchestrated to sabotage their peaceful program.
Meanwhile, Awami League leaders argued that ordinary citizens came out to protest the insults against the Father of the Nation, but the security forces’ “inhuman behavior” is utterly unacceptable.
A tense atmosphere now grips Gopalganj town. To control the situation, the administration has deployed police and army personnel, imposed Section 144 (restrictions on public gatherings), and declared a curfew.
Multiple video footages show security forces indiscriminately firing at people in Gopalganj.
