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Two people were killed in Narayanganj’s Bandar Upazila due to clashes between two factions of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) over the control of an auto-rickshaw stand. The incidents, which occurred on Saturday (June 21) night, have led to heightened tension in the area.
The deceased have been identified as Abdul Kuddus (60) from Hafezibag in Bandar Upazila and Mehedi (38) from Saleh Nagar. According to local sources, a longstanding dispute over the control of the Bandar railway auto-rickshaw stand had been simmering between the Roni-Jafar group, loyal to former councillor of City Corporation’s Ward No. 23 and joint convener of metropolitan BNP Abul Kawser Asha, and the Babu-Mehedi group, followers of former councillor of Ward No. 21 and BNP leader Hannan Sarkar. On Friday, a chase and clash between the two groups left at least eight people injured.
On Saturday around 9:30 PM, in the Shahi Mosque area, members of the Babu-Mehedi group stabbed Abdul Kuddus, a supporter of the Roni-Jafar group, leaving him critically injured. He was rushed to the Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead. Following the news, Kuddus’s relatives and Roni-Jafar group supporters blocked the road near the railway line and staged protests.
In retaliation, around 1:00 AM, as Mehedi and his associates were passing through the Sirajuddoula Club field, they were chased by members of the Roni-Jafar group. Mehedi was caught, beaten, and stabbed. He was taken to the 300-bed Khanpur Hospital in the city, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Bandar Police Station’s Inspector (Investigation) Saiful Islam said the killings resulted from a clash between the two groups over establishing dominance. The bodies of the deceased have been sent to the Narayanganj General Hospital morgue for autopsy. Police, Detective Branch (DB), and army personnel have been deployed to maintain order in the area.
Narayanganj Additional Superintendent of Police Tarek Al Mehedi told Kalbela, “Two killings took place last night. Legal action will be taken regarding these incidents.”
AI/MR
