15 injured as teenagers’ quarrel triggers clashes among 5 villages in Sylhet

Residents of five villages in Sylhet clashed late last night (4 February) following a verbal altercation between two teenagers, leaving at least 15 people, including police personnel, injured.

According to sources, the clash took place around 12am in the Temukhi area of the city.

Brickbats were hurled for nearly an hour, during which traffic on the Sylhet–Sunamganj regional highway remained suspended. Later, members of the army and police arrived and brought the situation under control.

Police from Jalalabad Police Station said the clash began over a verbal dispute between two teenagers from the neighbouring villages of Kumargaon and Sahebergaon in the Temukhi area under the station's jurisdiction.

Later, residents of Nazirergarh joined the Kumargaon side, while people from Chharargaon and Kalirgaon joined the Sahebergaon side. The clashes continued for about an hour, causing traffic on the Sylhet–Sunamganj regional highway to come to a halt.

Residents and police sources said at least 15 people, including police personnel, were injured in the clashes, although the identities of the injured could not be immediately confirmed. Traffic movement returned to normal around 1am after the situation stabilised.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Jalalabad Police Station Shamsul Habib, said, "After receiving information about the clash, the police and the army brought the situation under control. Several people, including police personnel, were injured. Currently, members of the police and army remain deployed in the area."

Sylhet Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner (South) Debashish Roy said, "Initially, some people claimed the incident was politically motivated, but no such information has been found. The clash originated from a quarrel between two teenagers from two villages. We are still looking into whether there were any other contributing factors."