Retired Army Veteran Beaten To Death Over Land Dispute In Bogura

A retired army veteran and local ward leader of the Awami League has been beaten to death following a dispute over agricultural land and grazing pastures in a remote island char of the Jamuna River in Bogura.

The incident occurred on Monday night in the Nantu’s More area of Pakuria Char under Kajla Union, Sariakandi Upazila. The victim, 62-year-old Moslem Uddin Pramanik, served as the President of the Ward 7 unit of the Awami League in Kajla Union and resided in Pakuria village. He succumbed to his injuries at approximately 7:30 am on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura.

According to local residents and police, Moslem Uddin had been involved in a long-standing dispute with rival local factions regarding the ownership and sale of land and pasture areas in Pakuria Char. At around 8:30 pm on Monday, Moslem Uddin was returning home after having tea at Pakuria Market when an armed group, allegedly led by local resident Nantu Sarkar, intercepted him at Nantu’s More. The attackers assaulted him severely with makeshift weapons before fleeing the scene.

Local residents rescued the critically injured veteran and rushed him to the Sariakandi Upazila Health Complex. As his condition deteriorated overnight, he was transferred to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital around 1:00 am, where he died hours later.

Speaking on the tragedy, the victim’s brother, Shahjahan Ali, a member of the Kajla Union Council, described Moslem Uddin as a peaceful man and demanded swift justice against Nantu Sarkar and his associates.

Following the death, the victim’s wife, Sokhina Begum, filed a murder case with Sariakandi Police Station naming 18 individuals. Law enforcement authorities subsequently launched drives across the region, arresting six key suspects named in the case.

The arrested suspects include Nantu Sarkar, 56; Sujon Mondal, 32; Mokhlesur Rahman, 55; and Sohel Sarkar, 35, all hailing from Char Pakuria village in Sariakandi. Two brothers from Char Shubhagacha village in Madarganj Upazila, Jamalpur—Haidar Ali Khan, 70, and Gias Ali Khan, 75—were also apprehended.

Officer-in-Charge of Sariakandi Police Station, AFM Asaduzzaman, confirmed that preliminary investigations point to the land dispute as the primary motive behind the attack. The body was sent to the hospital mortuary for a post-mortem examination, while the six arrested suspects were presented in court and remanded to Bogura District Jail. Police drives remain ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects named in the statement.