Hatia sandbar clash victim went to bring father back, family claims

His father Shamsuddin remains missing, with the family demanding his return, dead or alive

The family of Mobarak Hossain Sihab, who was killed in clashes over control of a sandbar in Noakhali’s Hatia Upazila, has claimed he had gone there to bring his father back home.

Sihab, 23, was a 12th grade humanities student at Saikat Government College.

Police claims Sihab’s father Md Shamsuddin is the leader of the “Kopa Shamsu” gang. However, Shamsuddin’s wife Mahfuza Begum denied the allegations on Wednesday, saying some people had lured her husband to the sandbar.

“After hearing about it, my son Sihab went there the day before yesterday to bring his father back. Yesterday, my son’s body was returned,” she said.

Five people were killed and around 10 injured in clashes and gunfire at Jaglar Char sandbar early Tuesday, according to police and local sources.

They said rival groups led by Shamsuddin and Alauddin exchanged gunfire throughout the day over control and possession of the sandbar, leading to the deaths.

The dead are Md Alauddin, 35, Kamal Uddin, 40, Mobarak Hossain Sihab, 23, Hoksab, 55, and Abul Kashem, 62.

Another man, Md Sohab, 30, was rescued and admitted to Hatia Upazila Health Complex.

SHAMSUDDIN STILL MISSING

Shamsuddin has been missing since the incident. His family has demanded that the authorities locate him, dead or alive.

On Tuesday evening, police initially said Shamsuddin was among the dead recovered from the sandbar. But later that night, his family said his body was not among the five recovered.

Noakhali Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration and Finance) Abu Tayeb Md Arif Hossain said five bodies had been recovered so far and Shamsuddin’s body had not been found.

“One injured person is receiving treatment at hospital. Legal proceedings are under way,” he said.

Explaining the earlier confusion, he said the bodies were badly mutilated, making identification difficult.

Shamsuddin’s elder son Md Fakhrul Islam said his father had been taken to Jaglar Char on the promise of land.

“My brother later went with him. We have found my brother’s body, but there is no trace of my father,” he said, adding that he had heard his father may have been taken towards Myanmar through the jungles.

“I want my father back, dead or alive,” he said.

Locals and police said several hundred landless families live on Jaglar Char. About half the land belongs to the government and the rest is privately owned or abandoned property, with no official settlement granted in the area.

Taking advantage of this, Shamsuddin had allegedly been selling the land for a long time under the protection of two local government representatives, with a share of the proceeds going to them.

Locals claim Shamsuddin had recently stopped paying them, leading to tension.

The rival Alauddin group then attempted to seize control of the land and began selling it at higher prices, escalating the conflict that led to Tuesday’s violence.