Gunfire erupted between two rival groups over a dispute involving drugs at Palangkhali in Ukhiya upazila of Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday, triggering panic among residents and forcing shops in the area to close.
Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and police rushed to the scene and brought the situation under control.
The incident took place at Bottoli Station in Palangkhali union on Wednesday afternoon.
Atikur Rahman Mazumder, officer-in-charge of Ukhiya Police Station, confirmed the incident, saying the situation was now normal, although police and BGB personnel remained deployed in the area.
According to local residents and police sources, Abul Fayez, organisational secretary of Union Juba Dal, was at Bottoli Station when a group of alleged miscreants led by Shahadat Hossain Munna suddenly opened fire at him.
Fayez escaped unharmed, but the gunshots triggered panic across the area, forcing local businesses to shut their doors.
Ayesha Siddika, an NGO worker who witnessed the incident, said she was returning home from her office when she reached Bottoli Station and saw the shooting.
She said she and her family had been living in fear since the incident, adding that gunfire had become a recurring occurrence in the area, taking place every one or two days.
Local residents want peace and an end to the violence, she added.
Later in the evening, Fayez’s wife told journalists that a group led by Shahadat Hossain Munna had attacked her husband in broad daylight, carrying firearms, ammunition and sharp weapons, including kirich.
She described her husband as an innocent person.
Meanwhile, a video circulated on social media purportedly showed another youth, identified as Arafat, alongside Shahadat Hossain Munna, with both holding modern pistols.
Several local residents also alleged that the two were involved in an organised drug syndicate along with others identified as Joynal, Shamsul, Arif, Jihad, Mamun, Mizan and Chhaiyad Nur.
Responding to the allegations, Joynal Abedin said his name had been deliberately linked to the shooting. He claimed he was not present at the scene and alleged that the incident had originated from a dispute over a football match.
However, Ukhiya Police Station Officer-in-Charge Atikur Rahman Mazumder said the shooting stemmed from a dispute over the sharing of drug profits.
He said a large police contingent was sent to the scene after receiving information about the gunfire, alongside BGB personnel.
“We are trying to arrest those involved and bring them to justice. The situation in the area is now calm,” the OC said.
