A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader was killed in an alleged attack led by a local Jamaat-e-Islami leader over a land dispute in Bahrukhali, a town in Cox’s Bazar Sadar.
Rahim Uddin Sikdar (55) died on Tuesday morning at Evercare Hospital in Chattogram, while receiving treatment for injuries sustained during the assault that occurred on the night of 13 July.
Rahim was the joint general secretary of the Bahrukhali Union BNP and a former president of the local Jubo Dal (youth wing of BNP).
According to his family, the attack stemmed from an ongoing land dispute. His elder brother, Shafiqul Rahman, a former chairman of Bahrukhali Union, claimed that the assault was orchestrated by Abdul Al Noman, the local president of the Jamaat-e-Islami unit in Faterghona, along with several others, including Noman’s son-in-law Mizan, Mujib, Enam, and others associated with the Jamaat-e-Islami party.
Reacting to the incident, Syed Ahmed Ujjal, president of Cox’s Bazar district Jubo Dal, posted on social media: “Our beloved colleague and former Jubo Dal leader Rahim Uddin Sikdar has been killed at the hands of the president of the Faterghona Jamaat unit. We demand a fair trial.”
Meanwhile, the Officer-in-Charge of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Mohammad Elias Khan confirmed that Rahim’s body had been brought to the Cox’s Bazar District Hospital morgue for an autopsy.
He also added that a written complaint had not yet been filed by the family, although the police have begun an investigation into the matter. So far, Mizan, one of the alleged assailants, has been arrested and is currently in police custody.
The police are continuing to pursue the other suspects, but Abdul Al Noman, the primary accused, could not be reached for comment. Efforts to contact Nur Ahmad Anowari, the district Jamaat-e-Islami Amir, by phone were unsuccessful, and no response was received from the Jamaat’s public relations department either.
The attack on Rahim Uddin Sikdar has sparked significant tension in the area, with locals expressing outrage at the violent incident. As the investigation unfolds, both political and social ramifications of the incident are expected to intensify.
Officials are calling for a thorough investigation and swift legal action to bring the perpetrators to justice. The growing political tensions between the parties in the region may further complicate the matter as the parties involved remain at odds.