An activist belonging to the banned Awami League was hacked to death by rival group members following a dispute at a local shrine in the Charkewar area of Munshiganj Sadar upazila. The incident occurred at approximately 9:45 pm on Wednesday, 4 November, inside the premises of Hazrat Doyal Baba Ruhul Amin Shah Mazar Sharif in Vitihogla village. The victim has been identified as 50-year-old Jahed Bepari, a known supporter of former Member of Parliament Faisal Biplob.
According to local residents and police sources, Jahed Bepari was a regular visitor to the shrine and was resting inside one of its rooms on Wednesday evening. The main accused, identified as Farid Bepari from the same locality, reportedly entered the room armed with sharp weapons and launched an unprovoked, indiscriminate attack on Jahed. Hearing his screams, family members and neighbours rushed to the spot and rescued him in a critical condition.
Jahed was initially rushed to Munshiganj General Hospital for emergency medical treatment. However, as his condition deteriorated rapidly, attending doctors referred him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). He succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment in Dhaka. His body has been kept at the DMCH morgue for an autopsy.
Local accounts suggest that the murder stems from a long-standing feud involving political influence and local dominance. During the tenure of the previous Awami League government, intense factional rivalry existed between Jahed, an adherent of former MP Faisal Biplob, and Farid, who backed rival former MP Mrinal Kanti Das. Some local residents claimed that following recent political shifts in the country, Farid and his associates aligned themselves with local Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activists to maintain influence in the area, though these claims remain independently unverified.
In addition to political friction, villagers highlighted a recent conflict regarding the organisation of an annual Ors festival scheduled for Friday at a local shrine in Vitihogla village. Residents believe that rising tension surrounding the religious gathering, combined with historical political enmity, likely triggered the fatal attack. The accused individuals have fled the area, preventing reporters from obtaining their statements.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Munshiganj Sadar Police Station, Md Taslim Uddin, confirmed that preliminary findings indicate the killing was driven by previous enmity. He stated that multiple law enforcement units, including himself, are actively conducting operations at the crime scene. Police are investigating several leads to uncover the precise motives behind the murder and bring the perpetrators to justice.
