A local leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party has sustained injuries, including the loss of a tooth, following an assault allegedly orchestrated by supporters of a political figure in Faridpur’s Saltha upazila. The incident unfolded on Friday afternoon amid lingering local tensions and prior arrests linked to political vandalism.
The victim has been identified as Shah Alam Matubbar, fifty-five, who serves as the general secretary of the Majardia Union BNP. According to local accounts, the altercation took place around five o’clock in the evening outside a grocery shop managed by Selim Matubbar along the paved road in the Majardia Bazar area of Majardia Union.
Mr Matubbar claims the confrontation stemmed from a recent police action. Earlier in the week on Wednesday, law enforcement authorities arrested Farid Mollah, who serves as the president of the Ward 3 Awami League unit in Majardia Union, in connection with a case involving the vandalism of a vehicle belonging to State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid Islam. Supporters of Mr Mollah reportedly blamed the BNP leader for the arrest, triggering Friday afternoon’s ambush. During the sudden assault, Mr Matubbar was struck multiple times across his body, resulting in physical trauma and the loss of a tooth.
In response to the violence, the victim’s brother, forty-four-year-old Sajib Hossain, lodged a formal complaint at the Saltha police station. The resulting case names six specific individuals from Majardia village: Miraj Mollah, Imran Mollah, Zia Matubbar, Rajib Mollah, Kawsar Matubbar, and Shahid Sheikh, alongside four to five unidentified suspects. Police case documents indicate that local dominance and long-standing territorial rivalries between opposing factions have fueled friction in the area for a considerable period.
Confirming the developments, Saltha police station Officer-in-Charge Bablur Rahman Khan stated that a formal case has been registered. Authorities have already apprehended one of the named suspects, Zia Matubbar, while active operations continue to track down and arrest the remaining individuals involved in the attack.
