Clash over money kills 1 in Natore

A man was stabbed to death in a clash between groups of two contractors over sharing money for a construction work in Natore this afternoon.

The deceased is Shihsir Hossain, 30, of Kandivitua under Natore municipality.

Roknuzzaman Hero, a councillor of the municipality's ward-5, and Hasanur Rahman Hasu, a contractor and Jubo League activist who sustained injuries during the clash, were arrested by the police in connection with the incident, police said.

Natore Municipality Mayor Uma Chowdhury Jolly said that Roknuzzaman Hero and Hasu jointly carried out construction work of drains in Ward 5.

However, a dispute emerged between the two over sharing of the profit from the work.

The mayor said she today called an arbitration meeting at her office to settle the dispute.

However, the groups' members locked into an argument during the meeting and left the office around 2:00pm, Uma added.

According to the mayor, the group's members later engaged in a brawl outside the office and, at one stage, Roknuzzaman and his associates stabbed Hasu.

At the same time, Hasu's supporters stabbed Shishir, a supporter of Roknuzzaman. Later, the victim was taken to Natore Modern Sadar Hospital where a doctor declared him dead, said Md Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station.

Asked about if any councillor can be involved in a contract project in his ward, Mayor Uma said that legally there is no option for a councillor to get a contract work.

Ashfaqul Islam is the official contractor of the drain construction work at Ward 5, she said.

Ashfaqul subcontracted the work to Roknuzzaman and Hasu, added the mayor.