Man shot dead in clashes during union council by-election in Narayanganj

Police officers are among 20 people injured in the clashes

A young man has been shot dead in clashes during a by-election to the post of a union council member at Sonargaon Upazila in Narayanganj.

Police officers were among 20 people injured in the clashes outside Dudhghata Government Primary School after the results were announced on Saturday afternoon, said Md Mohsin, inspector at Sonargaon Police Station.

Md Hridoy Bhuiyan, 24, and his cousin Omor Faruk Bhuiyan, 35, were among several of those with gunshot wounds.

Hridoy died before he was taken to Sonargaon Upazila Health Complex, while Faruk was transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, resident medical officer of the local health facility.

As many as 11 police officers took first aid at the hospital, the doctor said.

Locals said the by-election to the member’s post of Ward No. 3 under Pirojpur Union Council was scheduled for Saturday after the member, Mujibur Rahman, died in May last year.

When the results were announced, armed supporters of winner Azizur Rahman and his rival Kaisar Ahmed Raju clashed.

Police fired warning shots to bring the situation under control. Both sides blamed each other for the shooting.

Zahirul Islam, the brother of Hridoy, said they are supporters of Kaisar. Azizur’s supporters attacked them and shot his brother to death after the results were announced, he alleged.

Azizur denied the allegation, saying shots were fired when Kaiser’s followers attacked police after trying to snatch ballot boxes.

Golam Mostafa Rasel, the district’s superintendent of police, said police fired two rounds of warning shots after polling officers came under attack during the clashes.