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Published : 23 Mar 2026, 08:15 PM
A violent clash, reportedly centred on allegations of "fake vote" casting during the last national election, has led to widespread vandalism, looting, and the injury of at least 10 people in Shariatpur's Naria Upazila.
The incident occurred on Monday morning in Talatola Kurbir Char and Darbesh Khan Kandi localities of Rajnagar Union.
According to police and witnesses, the attackers detonated several crude bombs, creating a reign of terror before looting gold ornaments, cash, and livestock.
The roots of the conflict trace back to election day at the Talatola Dakhil Madrasa centre, where a fake vote had reportedly been cast.
The attackers targeted approximately 40 homes, including those belonging to expatriates and local farmers.
Victims described a scene of chaos where attackers used crude bombs to keep residents at bay while they ransacked properties.
Four cattle were looted from the farm of Kalam Bhuiyan, while Mofiz Bhuiyan claimed five of his cows were taken.
Sarika Begum, wife of expatriate Jalil Bepari, reported the loss of nearly 175gm of gold ornaments and Tk 50,000 in cash.
"They attacked us suddenly with bombs and weapons," said Reshma Begum, a witness. "They took our cattle and left us in total terror."
While the local Bangladesh Nationalist Party unit acknowledges the clash, Jamaat-e-Islami has denied involvement.
Royal Majhi, general secretary of Naria Upazila BNP, said while the feud started between BNP and Jamaat supporters over the election, it eventually drew in broader groups of locals.
District Jamaat secretary M Maqbool Hossain denied any role, saying, “We do not have a strong organisation there. This is an internal BNP conflict being blamed on us.”
Naria Police chief Bahar Mia confirmed the violence stemmed from post-election rivalry.
Police have arrested 10 individuals and recovered two unexploded crude bombs.
