A fisherman was shot dead, allegedly by a Forest Department patrol team, in a sanctuary area of the Sundarbans on Monday morning. The incident sparked violent protests as locals besieged and attacked a forest office, leaving five forest officials seriously injured.
The deceased was identified as Aminur Rahman Gazi, 45, son of the late Akshed Ali Gazi, hailing from Sora village in ward 9 of Gabura union under Shyamnagar upazila.
According to his companions – Ahmad Ali, Selim, and Ramzan – the group had entered the forest on 13 May with a valid permit from the Burigoalini Station of the Satkhira Range to harvest crabs.
They claimed that at approximately 7am on Monday, a Smart Patrol Team signaled them to stop in the Patkosta sanctuary area, which falls under the Nalian Station of the Khulna Range.
The fishermen alleged that when they hesitated to follow the instructions, Mubarak Hossain, the In-charge of the Nalian Patrol Outpost, opened fire. Aminur was hit by a bullet and died on the spot. His colleagues brought his body back to the locality at noon.
Following the news of the death, an angry mob of approximately one thousand people carrying the body besieged the Satkhira Range Forest Department office in the afternoon. The protesters reportedly attacked and vandalised the range office and the station office.
Md. Fazlul Haq, the Station Officer (SO) of Burigoalini Station, stated that they were informed of the shooting at 1pm.
“The protesters vandalised various offices, including the station office where ammunition and essential equipment are stored,” he said, adding that the current status of those supplies is unknown as staff remain barricaded.
He further confirmed that five forest workers sustained serious injuries, including head wounds and broken limbs, and expressed an urgent need for increased security.
Khalid Hossain, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Shyamnagar Police Station, confirmed that police were deployed to the scene to rescue the forest officials. He stated that the situation has since been brought under control.
