Tension is running high at the Bangladesh Secretariat following a clash between two rival groups of employees over the control of its canteen operations.
The clash centering the management of canteens inside the Secretariat took a violent turn on Tuesday night when members of one group attacked their rivals, leaving at least five people injured.
On Wednesday morning, the Padma Canteen behind Building No. 4 was found shut and the adjacent Milk Vita shop and other nearby food stalls also remained closed.
Grocery and daily essentials shops under Building No. 4, as well as the OMS outlet and Canteen No. 2 under Building No. 6, were not operating.
Police were seen deployed in and around Building No. 4 which also houses the office of the Secretariat Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited.
The Cooperative Society has long been operating two canteens and the OMS outlet inside the Secretariat premises.
Secretariat employees are divided into two groups under the umbrella of Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees United Council.
One faction is led by Md Badiul Kabir and Nizam Uddin Ahmed, while the other group is headed by Md Nurul Islam and Mujahidul Islam Selim.
Employees from both groups said the dispute over canteen control began after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5 last year.
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One faction of the employee council reportedly attempted to seize control of the canteen but the Cooperative Society insisted on running operations until the end of its designated term.
Following allegations of irregularities and corruption by the previous Cooperative Society committee, the Department of Cooperatives conducted an investigation and later formed an interim management committee to oversee operations.
The previous committee was reluctant to hand over responsibilities, leading to further tensions.
Meanwhile, one group of employees reportedly took control of the canteen and began managing it.
Although the previous committee eventually handed over control to the interim committee led by Assistant Secretary Md Golam Razzak on June 3, they also filed a writ petition with the High Court.
Following the petition, the High Court issued a stay order on the activities of the interim committee, according to employee leaders.
Mujahidul Islam Selim, General Secretary of the Nurul Islam faction, said, "The previous committee informed us about the court's verdict yesterday evening. We asked them to notify the Home Ministry, the Department of Cooperatives, and other relevant authorities. If the government instructed, we would close the canteen."
"Around 8:30 pm, when goods for the canteen, including OMS items, were being unloaded from a truck, Badiul's men, along with some Awami League supporters, launched a sudden attack on us with rods, sticks, and other weapons. Our president, Nurul Islam, and several others, including myself, were injured. Nurul Islam suffered a head injury and is still hospitalized,"he said.
Selim claimed the attack was a deliberate attempt to disrupt their ongoing movement demanding the cancellation of the Public Service Ordinance and to cover up the financial irregularities within the Cooperative Society.
On the other hand, Nizam Uddin Ahmed, General Secretary of the Badiul group, said, "I wasn’t present during the incident, but as far as I heard, Nurul Islam's group tried to run the canteen forcibly, defying the court order, which led to arguments and altercations. We have informed the top officials of the administration regarding the matter."