Two elderly men were killed and 10 others injured in a violent clash between BNP supporters and members of an Awami League faction whose activities are banned, over a government-owned pond in Raiganj Upazila, Sirajganj.
The injured have been admitted to Sirajganj General Hospital and Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital.
The deceased, Abdus Salam, 60, and Ismail Hossain, 70, succumbed to their injuries on Monday afternoon while undergoing treatment at Sirajganj General Hospital and Bogura Medical College Hospital, respectively.
The clash took place in the morning at Goalpara village in Dhamainagar Union.
Raiganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Golam Kibria confirmed the incident and said operation is underway to apprehend those involved.
“The bodies will be handed over to their families after post-mortem examinations,” he added.
Police reports indicate that the conflict arose from a long-standing dispute over a five-acre government pond. Awami League supporter Asmat Ali had been leasing the pond under the name of Goalpara Mosque for fish farming.
After the government change on 5 August, 2024, BNP leader Abu Bakkar Siddique, general secretary of Ward-2, Dhamainagar Union, leased the pond for three years and started his own fish farming operations.
The violence erupted Monday morning when Abu Bakkar Siddique and his associates tried to cast nets in the pond, and Asmat Ali and his supporters blocked them. Both sides attacked each other with sharp weapons, sickles, knives, sticks, and stones, leaving at least 12 people injured.
Police arrived at the scene following an emergency 999 call and brought the situation under control.
The area remains tense, and authorities have deployed additional forces. Preparations for filing a case in connection with the clash are underway.
