8 cops among 35 hurt in clash

At least 35 people including eight policemen were injured and 15 shops damaged as rivals of two villages clashed over establishing supremacy in Patgathi area of Tungipara upazila in Gopalganj on Tuesday.

Police opened fire to bring the situation under control and detained one in connection with the incident. The injured were admitted to Tungipara Upazila Health Complex and Gopalganj General Hospital.

Locals said there had been a longstanding feud between residents of Shreerampur and Gimadanga villages.

An altercation between Saiful Islam of Shreerampur village and a group of boys from Gimadanga village ensued around 4:00pm on Tuesday when Saiful asked the boys to leave a bridge in Shreerampur village.

Around 7:30pm, people from the two villages wielding lethal weapons clashed with each other in Patgathi area, resulting in the injuries and damage to the shops, they added.    

AKM Enamul Kabir, officer-in-charge of Tungipara Police Station, said, “On information, police rushed to the spot and fired 315 rubber bullets to bring the situation under control.”

Sub-Inspector Imarat Hossain and seven other members of police were injured during action.  

Police detained one person from the spot and filed a case against unidentified persons. Besides, two separate cases were filed on behalf of residents of the two villages against each other, added the OC.