Five people were injured as miscreants opened fire on villagers who tried to stop illegal sand extraction from the Meghna River in Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria on Sunday.
The injured were identified as Nurul Amin, 40; Rouf Mia, 45; Safar Mia, 50; Siam, 16; and Ibrahim, 30. They are receiving treatment at various local clinics.
According to police and locals, a company named Samiul Traders has leased a sand quarry in the river at Nabinagar. However, sand extractors began operating illegally outside the designated area, targeting Charlapang, which created erosion risks for agricultural land and nearby areas.
On Sunday morning, when villagers resisted further sand extraction, tensions escalated. At one point, a group of miscreants arrived by speedboats and boats from Mirzachar in Raipura upazila of Narsingdi and fired indiscriminately at the villagers, injuring five.
Shafiqul Islam, sub-assistant community medical officer at Nabinagar Upazila Health Complex’s emergency department, said five people were treated for pellet injuries in the morning. All are out of danger, he added.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Nabinagar Circle) Piyas Basak said police visited the scene and efforts are underway to identify and arrest the attackers.
