Miscreants burnt down at least 25 homes in the Kamalpur village while residents of five villages are at each other's throats for the past two days over fishing rights in a water body in Bijoynagar upazila of Brahmanbaria.
Sources said General Secretary Narayan Das of "Borouthan Cooperative Society" of Bulla village got the lease of Hugli Jalmahal (water body) from the district administration on September 29.
As specific areas of the water body had not been fixed on a large scale, residents of nearby Hajipur, Atrapara and Paikpara villages collectively claimed a part of it and built a dam to separate their claimed portion.
Hugli water body | Dhaka TribuneThe event triggered the ongoing conflict where villagers chasing-counter chasing and attacking each other with local weapons. The situation also left innocent people in Kamalpur village victims of fire damage.
Widowed Josna Akter said: "I live in my home with two of my children, miscreants have burnt down my home for no reason, I want justice for this crime."
Sharifa Akter was on the verge of tears when she said: "I returned from Saudi Arabia a few weeks back with money and valuable items. Miscreants looted all the valuables right before my eyes and set the house on fire."
Bijoynagar police station OC Md Foyzul Azam said: "We got to know that 62 percent (24 acres) of the water body was leased but there was no permanent arrangement. Villagers and law enforcement officials were injured in the conflict. A case will be filed against the people who burnt down homes."
A case was filed with the police station against 12 unknown assailants on Saturday over assaulting Sub-Inspector Mahmudur Rahman.
Two temporary police camps were set up in the villages to prevent further untoward situations, said Upazila Nirbahi Officer Meher Nigar.
