Man in Rajshahi dies 6 days after injury in BNP factional clash

A 35-year-old man, who was critically injured in a factional clash between two groups of the BNP in Tanore, has succumbed to his injuries at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU) yesterday afternoon.

The deceased, Nekshar Ali, a resident of Ratoil village, was an associate of local BNP leader Mofiz Uddin.

The clash erupted on the evening of March 27 between the supporters of Mofiz Uddin and Azad Ali, the current president of Chanduria union BNP. The violent confrontation left six individuals from Mofiz's faction and nine from Azad's faction injured.

According to witnesses, the violence began at Ratoil Bazar when Mofiz Uddin's followers allegedly attacked the grocery shop of Durul Huda, looting and vandalising the store. Several people were wounded in the altercation.

Following the incident, Roni alleged that Mofiz Uddin had demanded a contribution from Durul Huda to organise an Iftar event in the presence of BNP leader Major General (retd) Sharif Uddin. When Durul Huda refused, his shop was attacked, triggering the clash.

However, Mofiz Uddin denied the accusations, claiming neither he nor his followers were involved.

Tanore Police Station Officer-in-Charge Afzal Hossain confirmed that both factions had filed cases over the incident.

"With Nekshar Ali's death, the case will now be reclassified as a murder case, and legal action will be taken against the accused," he said.

This is not the first instance of factional violence within Tanore BNP. On March 11, a similar clash occurred during an Iftar event organised by the Panchandar union BNP. That incident stemmed from a dispute involving Mizanur Rahman, a member of the BNP district convening committee. The violence led to the death of Ganiul Islam, a BNP activist.

Subsequently, a murder case was filed against 37 BNP activists, and Mizanur Rahman, along with several others, was expelled from the party.

Following the March 11 incident, the district BNP had instructed party leaders to refrain from organising further Iftar programs in Tanore.