A 20-year-old garment worker was killed in a clash between two groups in Sadarghat area of Old Dhaka on Saturday night.
The deceased was identified as Mitul. Several others were injured in the incident, while police detained 10 people in connection with the clash.
Mitul worked at a garment factory in the area.
Local sources said members of the local Swechchhasebak Dal brought out a protest procession later that night following Mitul’s death. During the procession, they chanted slogans against several Jubo Dal leaders.
Sources said former Jubo Dal leader Sobhan and Kiran, senior joint convener of Dhaka South Metropolitan Chhatra Dal, are known as followers of Mohammad Suman Bhuiyan, convener of Dhaka South Metropolitan Sramik Dal. Both are also seeking posts in the Kotwali thana unit of Jubo Dal.
According to witnesses, the 2 groups had been at odds for a long time, with the dispute allegedly stemming from the sharing of extortion money.
However, police said the clash stemmed from a longstanding dispute among workers at several small garment factories operating inside East Bengal Market in Sadarghat.
Police said the workers had been involved in a dispute for several days and that the 2 groups had clashed last Thursday. The dispute escalated again at around 8:30pm on Saturday when the groups attacked and counter-attacked each other inside the 15-storey market.
During the clash, several people, including Mitul, were injured by blows from fabric-cutting scissors. They were taken to Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital, where doctors declared Mitul dead.
Mitul was reportedly a member of the Swechchhasebak Dal unit in Ward 37 under Kotwali police station. He was the son of Mohammad Russell Sardar of Sahabangol village in Jhalakathi.
Asked whether he knew Mitul, Suman Bhuiyan, president of Dhaka South Metropolitan Sramik Dal, said: “I have no political relationship with them. They work as tailors, and this is their personal dispute. I do not know them personally.”
Asked whether extortion was linked to the killing, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Lalbagh Division Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Talebur Rahman told Dhaka Tribune that the incident was primarily the result of previous enmity among the workers.
“The investigation is still underway. We detained 10 people last night. CCTV footage has also been collected from the scene and surrounding areas,” he said.