Shariatpur clashes with crude bombs: 8 including UP chairman arrested, explosives case filed

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested Kuddus Bepari, chairman of Bilaspur Union Parishad, as the main accused in connection with the 5 April's violent clash in Zajira upazila of Shariatpur.

Confirming the arrest, RAB-8 Commander Lieutenant Colonel Nistar Ahmed said Zajira Police have registered a case under the Explosives Act in connection with the incident, naming 88 individuals and accusing 800 - 1,000 people from both groups.

Officer-in-Charge of Zajira police station Mohammad Dulal Akand said, "Kuddus Bepari, also the vice-president of the Zajira Upazila Awami League, has been arrested by RAB but has not yet been handed over to the police." 

"However, seven other accused named in the case have been arrested and sent to court," he added.

The clash erupted on 5 April morning in the Durbadanga area of Bilaspur union between supporters of the incumbent chairman Kuddus Bepari and Abdul Jalil Madbar, a former chairman candidate and local Swechchhasebak League leader, over establishing dominance in the locality.

The long-standing rivalry between the two camps escalated into open violence, with both sides reportedly exploding more than 100 crude bombs and cocktail explosives, spreading panic in the locality.

At least 16 people were injured in the violence, including Maruf Mal, whose wrist was severed in a bomb blast. Additionally, 50-year-old Hasan Munshi sustained multiple injuries across his body. Both victims were transferred to Dhaka for advanced medical treatment.

A 15-second video of the clash has gone viral on Facebook, showing members of both groups facing off in an open field while explosions could be heard in the background.