A journalist was injured in an attack at a Lalon shrine, locally known as Padmahem Dham, in Dosharpara village of Sirajdikhan upazila in Munshiganj on Tuesday afternoon.
The injured, Kabir Hossain, president of the shrine and chief photographer of the Feature and Noksha sections of Prothom Alo, was wounded in the attack. His brother, Takbir Baul, also sustained injuries.
The incident took place around 1:00pm on the shrine premises, according to police and local sources.
Following the attack, police conducted a drive and detained Jahangir Madbar, a local BNP leader and president of Ward-7 BNP in Latabdi Union, on allegations of involvement in the incident.
Locals said the shrine dedicated to Lalon Shah is situated on the bank of the Ichamati River in Balurchar village and is known in the area as Padmahem Dham or Baul Bari. It was established around 21 years ago by Kabir Hossain. The attack is believed to have stemmed from a dispute over control of the property.
Witnesses said a group led by Jahangir Madbar entered the shrine premises and attacked Kabir Hossain with sharp weapons, leaving him severely injured. Takbir Baul was also hurt in the attack. Locals, devotees of Lalon and Baul followers later rescued the injured and took them to Sirajdikhan Upazila Health Complex. They were later shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment.
Speaking from hospital, Kabir Hossain alleged that he had been receiving threats for the past six months over attempts to evict him from the shrine.
“Today, Jahangir, the BNP ward president, came to the shrine with several people and attacked us. I suffered serious head injuries after being struck with a machete,” he said.
He also said he had earlier sought intervention from MP Sheikh Md. Abdullah of Munshiganj-1 constituency, alleging that disputes over the shrine had been escalating.
“I informed him that some people were creating trouble regarding the shrine and requested a solution. Before anything could be done, they carried out this attack,” he added.
Jahangir Madbar’s brother, Mohsin Madbar, presented a different account, claiming that Kabir Hossain is a relative but had allegedly occupied land belonging to their family and nearby residents under the pretext of establishing the shrine.
“He installed a gate at the shrine and blocked a village road. There has been a dispute over these issues for quite some time,” he said, adding that Kabir’s side allegedly initiated the attack.
Sirajdikhan Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Abdul Hannan said a dispute over land linked to the shrine had been ongoing between Kabir Hossain and Jahangir Madbar.
“An argument over the issue escalated, and Kabir Hossain was attacked. Police later detained Jahangir Madbar after conducting a drive. Efforts are underway to arrest others involved,” he said.
