Fierce clash leaves 150 hurt, 50 houses burnt
The local administration imposed Section 144 as a fierce clash between the people of Sawdagarpara and Akotapara villages of Ward No 1 under Kurigram municipality in the district left over 150 people injured and at least 50 houses burnt yesterday.
Police arrested 28 people from the spot.
Of the injured, 17 people were admitted to Kurigram Sadar Hospital while two others were admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, said Dr Nazrul Islam, resident medical officer of Kurigram Sadar Hospital.
A tense situation continued between the residents of Sawdagarpara and Akotapara villages of the municipality after Raton, a youth of Sawdagarpara, beat up Rabi Dash, a cobbler of Akotapara, following accidental spotting of shoe ink at the shirt of Raton when he went there to pump a football, police and local said.
As a sequel to the incident, a clash occurred between youths of Sawdagarpara and Akotapara around 8:00pm on Wednesday. They damaged a microbus, six battery-run three-wheelers and five rickshaws on Kurigram-Bhurungamari road that separates the two villages.
Police fired 11 rounds of bullets and seven rounds of teargas cells to bring the salutation under control.
The people of the two villages again locked in a bloody clash at 9:00am yesterday. Villagers of Akotapara set fire to houses of Sawdagarpara and ransacked 13 roadside shops.
Due to the clash, communication on Kurigram-Bhurungamari road at the spot remained suspended for around two hours.
Informed, police rushed to the spot, fired 65 rounds of teargas shells and one round of bullet and arrested 28 people, police said.
Fire service men from Kurigram also rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control.
At least 50 houses were burnt to ashes and seven other houses were ransacked in Sawdagarpara, said Md Shirajul Islam, deputy assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Kurigram.
Md Shahab Uddin, additional superintendent of police of Kurigram, said, “Now the situation is under control. Police forces have been deployed there to stave off further unwanted incident.”
The Section 144 will continue until the situation calms down, said Md Imtiaj Hossain, additional deputy magistrate of Kurigram.
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