[Bangla Daily Star] In retaliatory attacks, Jubo League... the youth wing of the Bangla Awami League...
activists stabbed three persons and torched three houses of Jamaat-Shibir adherents in Binodpur area of Rajshahi city early yesterday, hours after Jamaat-Shibir men had cut tendons of two Jubo League activists.
Some 30 activists of Jamaat-Shibir equipped with sharp weapons had attacked the house of Shahidul Islam, Jubo League general secretary of Ward No-30, Sunday around 11:30pm.
They stabbed and cut tendons of Shahidul, and another Jubo League activist Mainul Islam, who is also a teacher of Mirzapur School and College.
Shahidul's wife Sabina Khatun said the attackers had dragged him from the bed and cut the tendons of his both legs.
Head of the orthopaedic surgery unit at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) BK Dam yesterday said Shahidul had been referred to the capital's Suhrawardy hospital in the morning.
He said the condition of Mainul was also critical. He had received grievous injury on the head and the tendon of his right hand had been cut.
The Jamaat-Shibir attackers also looted valuables, including a computer, from Shahidul's house. They left the scene blasting cocktails [homemade bombs].
Raged at the incident, more than a hundred Jubo League men armed with sticks and sharp weapons demonstrated on Dhaka-Rajshahi highway at Binodpur for two hours until 3:00am.
Half an hour later, the agitating Jubo League men attacked the house of Jamaat adherent employee of Rajshahi University Mukhtar Ali, 50. They stabbed Mukhtar, his wife Sujofa Begum, 45, and their son Rafiqul Islam, 28.
All of them received treatment at RMCH.
Injured Rafiqul said his mother had lost four fingers of her left hand while protecting his father during the attack. Mukhtar had been ill and a portion of his body was paralysed, said Rafiqul.
Before leaving, the attackers set afire the belongings of the family, said Officer-in-Charge Abdul Mazid of Motihar Police Station.
The attackers afterwards torched two more houses belonging to Jamaat activist Omar Ali, and Nurjahan Begum.