A local BNP leader was beaten dead in Kaliganj of Gazipur on Friday.
The deceased was identified as SM Imdadul Haque Akalu, the president of Ward no 6 in the Mukterpur union of Kaliganj. He was the son of the late Habibur Rahman from Ramchandra village in Mukterpur.
Four others were injured in the incident.
The incident occurred at around 11:30am on Friday in the local Nashu Market area, said Kaliganj Police Inspector (Investigation) Maruf Hossain confirming the incident.
The injured are Jahirul Islam, 35, son of Jasim Uddin from Rathura village; Manju Sheikh, 65, son of Faiz Uddin Sheikh; Emon Sikdar, 24, son of Ismail Sikdar from Ramchandra village; and Mehidi Hasan Sarkar, 31, son of Bajlur Sarkar.
Among them, Mehidi and Emon received first aid and left the hospital, while Jahirul and Manju Sheikh are receiving treatment at the Kaliganj Upazila Health Complex.
Kaliganj Upazila BNP General Secretary Bablu Mia claimed that Akalu was beaten to death by Awami League activists.
Locals say that the clash resulted from a skirmish for dominance between two factions of the BNP.
Following the incident, attacks and vandalism occurred at the office and home of Shariful Islam Toron, a former chairman and current Awami League Vice-President of the Upazila.
According to locals, during the 12th National Parliament elections, Akalu's group supported independent candidate Akhtaruzzaman (Truck symbol) under the leadership of Shariful Islam Toron. In contrast, BNP's Assistant Organizing Secretary Noor Mohammad's group supported the Awami League candidate, former Minister Meher Afroz Chumki (Boat symbol).
Since the election, tensions between the two factions have escalated.
On Thursday, Akalu's group allegedly labeled Noor Mohammad's group as Awami League agents. On the morning of the incident, Akalu's supporters, riding on 10-12 motorcycles, held a rally and took position in the Nashu Market area.
During this time, 30-40 members of Noor Mohammad's group chased them and beat Akalu, resulting in his death on the spot.
Mukterpur Union BNP President Fazlul Haque Bagmar Noyon stated that Akalu was attacked with sticks and beaten to death by Awami League activists when he was at Nashu Market. The attackers then fled the scene.
Kaliganj Upazila BNP General Secretary Bablu Mia claimed that during recent protests, local Awami League members had previously detained Akalu and handed him over to the police. He accused Awami League members, led by Shariful Islam Toron and Sabur Member, of killing Akalu.
Kaliganj Police Inspector (Investigation) Maruf Hossain stated that the police have recovered the body from the scene and sent it to Gazipur Shahid Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital for an autopsy.
He noted that the clash involved both BNP and Awami League members and added that further details will be provided later.
As of the evening, no formal complaint had been filed; legal action will be taken once a complaint is received.
