Tension erupted in Araihazar upazila of Narayanganj yesterday after a fierce clash between two local groups of Awami League and the BNP left a Jubo League man dead.
Amzad Hossain, 45, was shot and hacked with sharp weapons while another 15 people, mostly Jubo League and Awami League activists, also received bullet injuries. They were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and several local hospitals.
The clash led to a tailback on Dhaka-Sylhet highway as traffic flow was disrupted for nearly two hours. Several vehicles were vandalised during the clash while local Awami League activists torched the houses of two BNP men.
Police detained 10 people in connection with the clash, and additional law enforcers were deployed.
The clash in Pachrukhi area broke out between supporters of Jubo Dal leader Nazrul Islam Azad and local lawmaker Nazrul Islam Babu when BNP men destroyed a festoon containing Babu’s picture.
The rival groups attacked each other with sharp weapons, firearms and lances, and panic soon spread in the area as they got into an intense gun battle.
Khodeja Begum, wife of BNP activist Abdur Kadir who got his house burned down, told reporters a group of Awami League men attacked the house in the presence of police.
“They vandalised our house and later torched it. We hid in the room of a nearby house,” she said.
Joint General Secretary of Araihazar upazila unit of Jubo League Md Bakir Bhuiyan said Amzad hailed from Pachrukhi area but lived with his family in Jamtala area of Narayanganj for reasons related to his profession.
“He was attacked while heading towards the highway from Pachrukhi Bazar around 9:30pm. He was hacked several times and was shot in the leg. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital but doctors declared him dead,” said Bakir.
Nazrul Islam Babu, lawmaker of Narayanganj 2 constituency, described Amzad as a harmless and placid man.
He told reporters the people in the upazila live in peace but a gang of killers is trying to cause chaos.
Narayanganj Police Superintendent Khandakar Mahid Uddin, UNO Md Shamsul Haque and Upazila Assistant Commissioner (land) Md Shariful Haque visited the scene of confrontation.
Inspector of Dhaka Medical College Hospital police outpost Mozammel Haque said Amzad was brought to the hospital around 12:30pm. “There were bullet injuries in his leg. He was also hacked with sharp weapons.”
No case was filed.