Armed clashes between two rival groups competing for control of the drug trade in Katabill, Cumilla city, began on Wednesday night (24 June) and escalated on Thursday, leaving at least five people injured. A class-six student at Rafiq Uddin Memorial High School was shot in the back when gunmen opened fire on the homes of anti-drug rally organisers and participants in the early afternoon. He was first taken to Cumilla Medical College Hospital and later transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after his condition deteriorated.
The student’s mother said her son had stepped outside the school compound during a break to eat his lunch when he was struck by a stray bullet. “They didn’t keep him in Cumilla Medical — he is being taken to Dhaka Medical,” she said.
Local sources said the clashes began on Wednesday night when tensions arose over interference with drug distribution in the area. Several cocktel bomb blasts were also reported, causing panic among residents. Police were deployed and brought the situation under control on Wednesday night.
The violence resumed on Thursday morning when residents held an anti-drug human chain rally in front of Katabill Rafiq Uddin Memorial School in response to the overnight incidents. Later that day, a group of armed men attacked the homes of rally organisers and participants, firing weapons.
Officer-in-charge of Kotwali Model Police Station, Towhidul Anwar, said the clashes were between the Appu group and the Sabbir group, both of whom are competing for dominance of the drug trade and territorial control in the area. “The situation is now under control. The process of identifying those involved and taking legal action is under way,” he said. Additional police forces have been deployed in the area.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report