Two people were injured when armed assailants opened fire to obstruct the collection of a lawful lease on the Padma River in Ishwardi, Pabna. One of the victims is reported to be in critical condition.
The incident occurred on Monday (October 6) around 3:00 PM at No. 5 Sarda Ghat area (Switch gate) in Sarda Union. The injured were identified as Nizam Hossain (26), son of Hossain Gazi, and Sajib Aldar (22), son of Bablu Aldar. Due to the severity of their injuries, both were referred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment.
Eyewitnesses reported that a group of 12–14 armed men arrived in two speedboats from the Pakshi Bridge area and began firing at another speedboat involved in legal lease collection. As the lease collectors tried to escape into the village, the gunmen continued shooting, hitting the two victims in the process.
Rina Khatun, an eyewitness, said the attackers fired indiscriminately, entering the village while shooting, and the victims were hit while sitting in a local shop. Another resident, Nur Islam, described hearing about 35 gunshots before the assailants fled, taking one speedboat and one small boat with them.
Mehedi Hasan, the legally appointed leaseholder, claimed that the attack was orchestrated by Sohel Khondkar, Assistant Director of “Groupon Services Private Limited” from Kushtia, who sent his armed group against unarmed locals. Hasan also stated that the assailants took Tk 35,000 and one of his speedboats along with another boat.
Local authorities commented on the incident: Shafiqul Islam, In-Charge of Lakshikunda River Police Outpost, said he arrived about 1.5 hours later and is still gathering details. A.S.M. Abdun Noor, Officer-in-Charge of Ishwardi Police Station, stated that the river shootings fall under the river police’s jurisdiction, but the police visited the scene and noted the injuries. The victim families have been advised to file official complaints, after which legal action will be taken
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