Man beaten to death with hammer during village arbitration meeting in Magura

Locals have set fire to the house of the accused after the killing, police say

A man in Magura Sadar Upazila has been accused of beating another man to death during a village arbitration meeting convened to settle a dispute over land harvesting rights.

Magura Sadar Police Station chief Ayub Ali said the incident occurred around 12:30pm on Friday in Boluk village under Kuchiamora Union. Following the killing, locals set fire to the house of the accused.

The dead man, 50-year-old Badsha Mollah, was a resident of the same village.

According to police and witnesses, a dispute broke out on Thursday between sharecropper Anwar Hossain and landowner Shiuli Khatun over harvesting rights.

A scuffle ensued between people on the two sides that day.

To settle the issue, the villagers arranged a mediation meeting on Friday afternoon.

During the meeting, Anwar’s son Abir, 22, allegedly became enraged and struck Shiuli’s maternal uncle, Badsha, on the head and face with a hammer.

Locals rushed Badsha to Magura Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

In retaliation, Shiuli’s backers set fire to Anwar’s house.

Police arrived at the scene soon afterwards and brought the situation under control. Police personnel have since been deployed in the area.

Dr Krishna Pada Biswas, an emergency department physician at Magura Sadar Hospital, said: “A person was beaten with a hammer. He was hit in the head and face. It is believed that he died of bleeding from the head. The body has been kept in the temporary morgue of the Sadar hospital.”

Ayub said the body has been sent for autopsy. No case had been filed as of Friday evening, but police have launched an operation to arrest those involved.