At least three people were killed and 30 others injured during a bloody clash between heavily-armed supporters of BNP and Bangladesh Krishak League, an associate body of ruling Awami League, at a cattle market in Kishoreganj on Friday.
Violence broke out in front of the Singpur Government Primary School in Nikli upazila following a dispute over purchasing sacrificial cows and “establishing superiority,” according to police and eyewitness accounts.
Declared dead at the scene were Md Waskuruni, a 30-year-old Krishak League supporter and the son of Malek Mia of Natunpara village under Singpur union; and Kanchan Mia, 40, a BNP supporter and the son of Abbas Ali of Gorgor Hati village of the same union.
Kanchan’s younger brother, Hadis Mia, 25, sustained stab wounds during the fight and died en route to Dhaka for advanced medical treatment.
Md Abdul Hashim, the secretary general of Krishak League Singpur union unit, led one of the groups while his BNP counterpart Harun Mridha led the other.
As the clash erupted around 5:30pm, they chased each other with sharp knives and guns.
Waskuruni was among three people who suffered gunshot wounds while Kanchan was stabbed brutally—both dying on the spot. Of the injured, bullet-hit Idris Mia and Muzammel Mia were admitted to hospital in critical conditions. Twenty others were admitted to different hospitals in Kishoreganj and the rest were given first aid at the scene of the incident.
Locals said there had been a longstanding feud between the two arch rivals over the question of superiority in the vicinity.
On April 14, they engaged in gunfights at a Baisakhi fair, injuring 20 individuals, of which nine sustained bullet injuries.
AKM Mahbubul Alam, the officer in charge of Nikli police station, said police rushed to quell the situation as soon they learned of the development. Additional police force was deployed at the trouble spot, he added.
