ASTAGRAM, Bangladesh — Two factions of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party clashed over control of a fishery in Kishoreganj’s Astagram upazila, leaving four people seriously injured, including the convener of the upazila unit of the BNP’s student wing, witnesses said.
The clash took place at about 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, in Laura village of Bangalpara union. A motorcycle was also vandalized during the attack. The injured were identified as Titumir Hossain Sohel, 35, convener of the upazila Chhatra Dal; Takbir, 28; Mir Rafi, 23; and Rimon, 35.
According to local residents and eyewitnesses, two BNP factions had been at odds for a long time over control of a fishery known as Bil Maksa. The fishery was owned by S.M. Shaheen, organizing secretary of the upazila BNP, along with Chhatra Dal leader Titumir and several others. On Tuesday afternoon, people led by upazila BNP president Said Ahmed took fish from the Bil Maksa river and were transporting them by motorized trawler to sell, witnesses said. Titumir and several others stopped the trawler carrying the fish to recover them. After learning that the trawler had been stopped, Said Ahmed informed his supporters in the Bangalpara union BNP by mobile phone.
Later, a group of 40 to 50 people led by Bangalpara union BNP convener Murshedi Kamal, former union council member Rashed Mia and Akkas Ali Akash attacked Titumir with sharp weapons, seriously wounding him, witnesses said. Three others who were with him and tried to protect him were also slashed. The attackers fled when locals rushed to the scene in response to the victims’ cries.
Local residents took the wounded to the Astagram upazila health complex, where doctors provided initial treatment. The seriously injured were later transferred to the 250-bed Kishoreganj General Hospital as their condition worsened.
The injured alleged that the attack was carried out in a planned manner under the leadership of upazila BNP president Syed Said Ahmed. After Aug. 5, the upazila BNP president and his associate Aksar Mia, along with their men, had been illegally occupying various fisheries and sand quarries in the upazila and running extortion and case-trade rackets, they alleged. Those who protested were harassed with false cases and attacks, they said.
The injured Chhatra Dal convener Titumir Hossain Sohel said: “This was a pre-planned attack on us over control of the Bil Maksa fishery. The attack was led by upazila BNP president Syed Said Ahmed. We want the perpetrators arrested quickly and given exemplary punishment.”
S.M. Shaheen, organizing secretary of the upazila BNP, said: “Said has been engaged in terrorist activities in the area since Aug. 5. The Chhatra Dal convener and others were slashed by his men. We are demanding a fair trial.”
Syed Said Ahmed, president of the upazila BNP, denied the allegation by organizing secretary S.M. Shaheen and said: “Shahidul Haque, president of the East Astagram union Jubo Dal, and another person were attacked while taking fish from their boat, and a quarrel developed between Chhatra Dal leader Titumir Hossain Sohel and villagers of the Noagaon-Najirpur area. I am being unnecessarily implicated in this incident.”
Soheb Khan, officer-in-charge of Astagram police station, said no written complaint had been received about the incident yet.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report