5 shot in Satkhira land dispute clash; 4 arrested
The dispute centres around a 16-bigha plot of land that has long been contested between two groups
At least five people were shot during a clash over a land dispute in Shyamnagar, Satkhira this (2 August) afternoon.
Police have arrested four individuals in connection with the incident.
Shyamnagar Police Officer-in-Charge Humayun Kabir confirmed the matter, saying the clash broke out when one group tried to re-occupy the land.
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The OC added that police have recovered a gun cover of a single-barrel firearm from the scene.
The clash took place around 4:30pm in the Ramjibonpur area under Nurnagar Union.
The injured were first taken to Shyamnagar Upazila Health Complex and later transferred to Satkhira Medical College Hospital for further treatment.
The victims – identified as Abdul Malek Gazi (50), Ariful Islam (15), Ariful Islam (28), Abu Sayed (15), and Abdullah Al Mamun (35) – are all residents of the Ramjibonpur and Keyatla areas.
They claim they were shot during a confrontation over a disputed plot of land.
Shyamnagar Police have arrested four individuals in connection with the incident: Ashraful Islam (25), Amanullah Emon (23), Maruf Hossain (22), and Abdullah Al Mamun (20), all hailing from Old Satkhira and Sakhipur areas.
According to locals and one of the injured, Ariful Islam, the dispute centres around a 16-bigha plot of land that has long been contested between two groups.
Shahajan, a local reportedly affiliated with the former Awami League government, had been occupying the land for some time.
Following the Awami League's ouster on 5 August, the opposing group – led by Sohel Reza Forez – took over the property, citing a favourable High Court verdict.
On the day of the incident, Shahajan allegedly arrived with a group of men in a bus and a battery-run autorickshaw in an attempt to reclaim the land.
A clash broke out, during which the victims allege that Shahajan's group opened fire as they resisted.
Shahajan could not be reached for comment.
However, one of the arrestees, Ashraful Islam, offered a different version of events.
He claimed that the land had been forcibly occupied by the victims and that he and his relatives had gone to reclaim it when locals attacked them.
He denied any knowledge of who fired the shots.
