AL factional clash leaves two dead
Two men were killed and at least 10 more injured in a clash between two groups of the ruling Awami League in Barishal's Mehendiganj upazila.
The clash broke out around 10:00am yesterday at the house of local union parishad member Abdur Rob Dhali over elections.
The dead are Abdus Sattar Dhali, 55, elder brother of Abdur Rab Dhali, and Siddiqur Rahman, 28, of neighbouring Saldi village, said police.
According to Abdur Rob Dhali, his family members got involved in an altercation with the men of Kalam Bepari, general secretary of Dhulkhola union AL in the district's Hijla upazila.
Abdur Rob Dhali, president of North Ulaunia union AL and a UP member of ward-1, also said a group of 50 to 60 people attacked their house around 11:00am with sticks and sharp weapons.
"They ransacked the house at random and attacked anyone they found in front of them for a dispute over the UP elections."
Siddiqur Rahman was hacked to death on the spot while Abdus Sattar Dhali breathed his last on the way to the hospital.
Abul Kalam Azad, officer-in-charge of Mehendiganj Police Station, said six members of both the groups were arrested in connection with the incident.
Meanwhile, a Jubo League activist was stabbed to death by his rivals over establishing supremacy in Pabna town's Radhanagar Bot Tola area yesterday afternoon.
The dead is Mohammad Rony, 30, of the district's Sadar upazila's Narayanpur village, said police.
Rawshon Yazdani, inspector (investigation) of Pabna Sadar Police Station, said Rony had a long-standing enmity with Mirazul Islam, another Jubo League leader, over holding supremacy in the area.
The men of Mirajul attacked and stabbed him when he was sitting at Radhanagar Bot Tola area around 4:30pm, the police official added.
He further said that police recovered the body and sent it to Pabna Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Talking to The Daily Star, Shibli Sadik, secretary of Pabna district unit Jubo League, however, said this was not a political incident.
"Pabna Jubo Leage is running by a convening committee, and there are no upazila unit committee, or other unit committees. So, they [victim and accused] are not in any Jubo League committee." Shibli said.
"They both might have the conflict in the area for holding supremacy, this is not political conflict," he claimed.
Our Barishal and Pabna correspondents contributed to this report.