A local youth wing leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has died in Chittagong following a physical altercation triggered by an argument over street vendors. The dispute arose when the victim protested against positioning rickshaw-van shops along a busy thoroughfare in the Chandgaon area of the city.
The victim, identified as Fazal Amin, served as the senior joint secretary for Ward No. 6 of the Chittagong Metropolitan Juba Dal. The incident transpired on Friday afternoon along the Omar Ali Matbor Road. Following an official complaint lodged by the victim’s family, Chandgaon Police Station registered a homicide case naming a local individual, Mohammad Shahjahan, as the primary suspect, alongside several of his associates. Shahjahan reportedly claims to be an influential local figure affiliated with the BNP, though his political standing remains disputed by community members.
Tensions came to a head outside the Chittagong Medical College Hospital morgue on Saturday afternoon during the autopsy. Family members and local residents gathered outside, alleging that Shahjahan had long operated an extortion ring by illegally leasing public road space to mobile rickshaw-van vendors. According to community accounts, neighbourhood residents had recently convened a formal civic meeting where they unanimously decided to prohibit mobile vendors from setting up stalls directly in front of a nearby school, aiming to clear the footpaths and maintain public order.
Despite the collective resolution, several rickshaw-van vendors returned to set up stalls outside the educational institution on Friday. Fazal Amin’s son, Jobayer Haq Inan, recounted the confrontation to reporters, explaining that the vendors were severely obstructing vehicular traffic and endangering schoolchildren attempting to cross the road. When his father approached to inquire why the vendors had returned in defiance of the community agreement, Shahjahan and his son confronted him. Inan stated that the men shoved his father forcefully in the chest and subjected him to physical assault.
The assault proved fatal due to underlying medical vulnerabilities. Inan revealed that his father had previously undergone open-heart surgery, leaving him in a fragile state of health. Roughly ten minutes after receiving the heavy blows to his chest, Amin collapsed to the ground. Family members rushed him to medical care, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Critiquing the accused’s political credentials, Inan labelled Shahjahan a “hybrid” activist who emerged only after political shifts on 5 August, having had no visible presence or involvement in local party affairs for the past seventeen years. When questioned about the suspect’s political ties, the General Secretary of Chittagong Metropolitan Juba Dal, Mohammad Shahed, confirmed Amin’s leadership post within Ward No. 6. However, Shahed emphasised that political identity should not shield anyone from justice, stating that the primary focus must remain on taking swift legal action against the perpetrator.
Law enforcement authorities are awaiting forensic findings to establish the exact cause of death. Kazi Mohammad Bidhan Abid, Assistant Commissioner of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (Panchlaish Division), confirmed that Amin fell ill immediately after being shoved on Omar Ali Matbor Road and died en route to the hospital. He noted that pre-existing medical conditions might have contributed to the sudden collapse, which the autopsy report will clarify. Addressing allegations of street extortion, the police official acknowledged that the dispute stemmed from Amin’s attempts to clear the road of illegal vans, though investigators are still probing the financial extortion claims. Police teams are currently conducting raids to trace and apprehend Shahjahan and the co-accused.
