A boundary hearing at the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday descended into chaos as two rival BNP factions clashed over the draft demarcation of Brahmanbaria-2 and Brahmanbaria-3 constituencies. The scuffle involved supporters of BNP’s International Affairs Secretary Barrister Rumeen Farhana and her party rivals.

The hearing began around noon at the EC auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka, with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal and other commissioners present. Shortly before 1:00 p.m., heated arguments between the two sides turned into shoving and shouting. EC officials and police rushed to control the situation, after which the session was abruptly concluded.

Eyewitnesses said that during the hearing, Rumeen Farhana defended the EC’s proposed draft, while local BNP leaders Khurshid Alam, Advocate Shafiqul Alam, and Advocate Imam Hossain strongly opposed it. They objected to the inclusion of three unions from Bijoynagar Upazila into Brahmanbaria-2, demanding that the upazila remain intact.

Speaking to journalists after leaving the hall, Rumeen Farhana said:

> “What has never happened in 15 years happened today. I was pushed and almost knocked down by members of my own party. If this is the situation within BNP over boundary issues, one can only imagine what will happen during the election.”

She further alleged that rival candidates and their supporters behaved like “hired muscle” in front of the commission, calling it shameful and disrespectful to the tribunal’s dignity.

Meanwhile, members of the National Committee Party (NCP) present at the hearing claimed they were also attacked during the scuffle. Three NCP leaders — Engineer Aminul Haque Chowdhury, Mustafa Sumon, and Ataullah — were reportedly injured. Aminul Haque told reporters:

> “We were beaten inside the Election Commission hall simply because we came to present our objections. Even in front of the CEC, we were assaulted.”

Asked about the allegation, Rumeen Farhana denied any link, saying:

> “I don’t know whether they were NCP-Jamaat members or just hired thugs. That is not clear.”

Outside the EC building, further commotion broke out among groups of demonstrators. Police dispersed the crowd near the entrance, and water cannons were kept on standby in case the situation worsened.

Although reporters were allowed to attend the hearings, cameras were not permitted inside the auditorium.