Clash erupts between Jamaat MP, BNP activists at Meherpur hospital

Tension flared up at the Meherpur General Hospital following a physical altercation between a Jamaat-e-Islami Member of Parliament and local BNP activists, which disrupted medical services in parts of the hospital and sparked panic among patients and their attendants.

The incident occurred when Tahaj Uddin Khan, MP for Meherpur-1 and the district Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer, visited the hospital, leading to a war of words and subsequent shoving with several individuals on Wednesday (August 12).

According to eyewitnesses, the lawmaker inquired about the identity cards and recruitment details of outsourcing staff on the third floor of the hospital. The situation grew heated during an argument with a staff member. Shortly after, when BNP activists arrived at the hospital, a verbal duel broke out between the two factions.

The confrontation escalated into a physical clash after the MP's personal bodyguard slapped a Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal activist. Upon receiving news of the incident, the Meherpur Sadar Police Station rushed to the scene and brought the situation under control.

Meherpur Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Humayun Kabir stated that the situation is currently under control, and multiple police teams arrived at the scene to safely escort MP Tahaj Uddin Khan to his personal office. Following the incident, the MP took refuge in the Meherpur WZPDCL compound for security reasons. Meanwhile, upon hearing the news, Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal activists gathered in front of the hospital's main gate and chanted anti-Jamaat slogans before additional police forces arrived to restore order.

District Jamaat-e-Islami General Secretary Md. Iqbal Hossain alleged that a Chatra Dal activist behaved rudely with the MP when he raised questions regarding the recruitment of hospital outsourcing workers. He further claimed that after the bodyguard slapped that worker, BNP and associate organization leaders gathered, blockaded the MP, and attempted to attack him.

Meherpur Sadar Upazila BNP General Secretary Saidul Islam alleged that the MP went to the hospital with his supporters to inspect the ID cards of legally appointed outsourcing workers and attempted to drive them out by falsely labeling them as illegal appointees, which provoked anger among the staff. He claimed that when the situation heated up, he went to the hospital to try and control it, after which the MP left the hospital and took shelter at the adjacent electricity office.

Despite lingering tension in the hospital area surrounding the incident, police continue to maintain control over the situation.