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| Relatives of the Victim |
A clash between two factions of the ruling Awami League over control of a market left an eight-year-old child dead in Keraniganj yesterday.
Mohammad Sohel, a student of class-I at Ambagicha Govt Primary School, died after a stray bullet fired by one of the factions hit him in the head.
Sohel, son of rickshaw puller Hafiz Uddin, was playing in front of his home along with friends when he was hit.
Witnesses said locals brought out a protest procession with Sohel's body after the incident. Police later took the body from the protestors and sent it to Sir Salimullah Medical College morgue for an autopsy.
The clash erupted when a group of people led by local AL leader Mujibur Rahman and Suvadda union parishad Chairman Mohammad Iqbal attacked Momtaz Market at Purba Aganagar around 11:00am with a view to taking control of it.
Owners and employees of the market led by Sayeed Hossain, Keraniganj upazila unit president of Bangladesh Chhatra League, and AL leader Mozzammel Hossain, resisted the attack which soon led to the clash, according to locals.
Around 20 people were injured, mostly by brick chips. Several stores were also vandalised.
Officer-in-Charge of South Keraniganj Police Station Sakhawat Hossain told The Daily Star the market has around 250 readymade garment stores. He said both sides used weapons, such as sticks and hockey sticks, and also pelted brickbats at each other.
Several bullets were fired at the beginning of the clash. Around 10 minutes after Sohel's death, people led by Mujibur and Iqbal fled the scene.
Traders of the market told police that Mujibur's group had launched the attack and opened fire on them.
Locals said around eight months ago Mujibur claimed that he had bought the market and he had since been trying to evict the traders so that he could build a multi-storied building on the piece of land.
However, a group of traders of the market had been claiming that they had bought the land and were in the possession of some shops.
A faction of the AL sided with the traders while the other backed Mujibur.
The AL leaders allegedly involved could not be reached by The Daily Star.
Mohammad Sohel, a student of class-I at Ambagicha Govt Primary School, died after a stray bullet fired by one of the factions hit him in the head.
Sohel, son of rickshaw puller Hafiz Uddin, was playing in front of his home along with friends when he was hit.
Witnesses said locals brought out a protest procession with Sohel's body after the incident. Police later took the body from the protestors and sent it to Sir Salimullah Medical College morgue for an autopsy.
The clash erupted when a group of people led by local AL leader Mujibur Rahman and Suvadda union parishad Chairman Mohammad Iqbal attacked Momtaz Market at Purba Aganagar around 11:00am with a view to taking control of it.
Owners and employees of the market led by Sayeed Hossain, Keraniganj upazila unit president of Bangladesh Chhatra League, and AL leader Mozzammel Hossain, resisted the attack which soon led to the clash, according to locals.
Around 20 people were injured, mostly by brick chips. Several stores were also vandalised.
Officer-in-Charge of South Keraniganj Police Station Sakhawat Hossain told The Daily Star the market has around 250 readymade garment stores. He said both sides used weapons, such as sticks and hockey sticks, and also pelted brickbats at each other.
Several bullets were fired at the beginning of the clash. Around 10 minutes after Sohel's death, people led by Mujibur and Iqbal fled the scene.
Traders of the market told police that Mujibur's group had launched the attack and opened fire on them.
Locals said around eight months ago Mujibur claimed that he had bought the market and he had since been trying to evict the traders so that he could build a multi-storied building on the piece of land.
However, a group of traders of the market had been claiming that they had bought the land and were in the possession of some shops.
A faction of the AL sided with the traders while the other backed Mujibur.
The AL leaders allegedly involved could not be reached by The Daily Star.
News by The Daily Star
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