A long-standing dispute over the leadership of a local mosque committeedegenerated into severe violence on Wednesday morning, leaving at least five homes gutted by fire and roughly thirty others ransacked in Madaripur Sadar Upazila.
The unrest broke out in the Baherandi area under the Ghotmajhi Union. Tensions between the rival factions had been simmering for approximately three months, following the formation of a new managing committee for the Baherandi Jame Mosque. The appointment of Mosharaf Fakir as the committee president triggered immediate objections from a local influential figure, Bachchu Moral, who staked his own claim to the position.
What began as an administrative disagreement over the place of worship soon split the village into opposing camps. Supporters of Bachchu Moral found themselves locked in a bitter feud with those loyal to former Union Parishad member Emdad Matubbar, who backed the newly appointed committee. Local sources indicate that the feud had already spawned several smaller skirmishes in recent weeks as both groups sought to establish dominance over the neighbourhood.
The situation escalated dramatically on Wednesday morning when over a hundred men aligned with Bachchu Moral allegedly launched a coordinated assault on the homesteads of Emdad Matubbar’s followers. Witnesses reported that the mob carried out systematic vandalism, looting, and arson for nearly two hours. Fire quickly swept through five residential dwellings, destroying household belongings, whilst dozens of other houses suffered extensive structural damage as perpetrators forced their way inside to plunder valuables.
Victims of the raid expressed intense outrage over the response of law enforcement. Tamim Matubbar, whose home was targeted during the rampage, alleged that officers acted with clear bias. He claimed that police forced residents out of their homes under the guise of restoring order, effectively leaving the properties unguarded and vulnerable to Bachchu Moral’s supporters, who then systematically looted and torched the premises. Emdad Matubbar similarly condemned the authorities, asserting that despite the widespread destruction, no immediate action was taken against the aggressors.
Bachchu Moral rejected all allegations of involvement in the rampage. He countered that Emdad Matubbar and his associates have long enforced a regime of local dominance and suggested that the opposing side staged the violence themselves to frame him. He called upon the authorities to conduct an impartial investigation to uncover the truth.
Madaripur Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abul Kalam Azad noted that the two factions have a history of violent confrontations over trivial matters. He confirmed that a similar clash occurred just two days prior, on Monday, which also resulted in property damage and looting. According to the OC, police officers had repeatedly urged both sides to maintain peace. Addressing the allegations of police partiality, he stated that competing groups often accuse the force of bias whenever law enforcement refuses to align with their specific interests. He added that police teams are actively compiling lists of suspects to execute arrests.
Providing an update on the security situation, Madaripur Additional Superintendent of Police Jahangir Alam confirmed that additional police units were deployed to bring the area back under control. He noted that the process of filing official cases on behalf of the affected families is currently underway, and pledged that the allegations raised against police officers would be thoroughly investigated, with appropriate legal measures taken if any misconduct is found.
