Following intense clashes and attacks on their rally in Gopalganj, top leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) reached Khulna under heavy security provided by the army and law enforcement agencies on Wednesday, July 16, night.
The leaders arrived at the Khulna Circuit House at 7:00pm and are currently stationed there, preparing for a press conference at 9:30pm at the Khulna Press Club.
Sajidul Islam Bappi, member secretary of the Khulna district unit of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, confirmed the development, saying, “The party’s top leaders are staying at the Circuit House and will address the media at the Press Club tonight.”
The NCP convoy, comprising 15 to 16 vehicles, includes prominent figures such as party convener Nahid Islam, northern region chief organizer Sarjis Alam, southern region chief organizer Hasnat Abdullah, senior joint convener Samantha Sharmin, party member secretary Akhtar Hossain, and senior joint member secretary Tasnim Zara.
Their safe arrival in Khulna follows a harrowing day in Gopalganj, where their rally was disrupted by vandalism and a subsequent ambush allegedly by supporters of the banned Awami League, Chhatra League, and Juba League.
The violence in Gopalganj, which claimed at least four lives and turned areas like Municipal Park and Launch Ghat into battlegrounds, prompted a 22-hour curfew in the district from 8:00pm Wednesday to 6:00pm Thursday.
The NCP leaders, initially trapped in the Gopalganj Superintendent of Police’s office after the attack around 2:30pm, were evacuated under military escort after 5:00pm. The clashes involved arson, brickbats, and assaults on police, army vehicles, and journalists, with law enforcement deploying rubber bullets, tear gas, and blank fire to restore order.
The upcoming press conference at the Khulna Press Club is expected to address the Gopalganj violence and outline the NCP’s next steps in its campaign for a discrimination-free Bangladesh.
The party’s leadership has condemned the attacks, with northern chief organiser Sarjis Alam vowing to “build a grave for Mujibism” if he survived the ordeal. The safe arrival in Khulna marks a critical moment for the NCP as it navigates a volatile political landscape.