Faridpur Islamist Leader Severely Assaulted

In Faridpur’s Nagarkanda Upazila, a local leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party was brutally attacked with a hammer and sharp weapons late on Wednesday evening. The incident occurred around 9:00 pm near the Kadamtali Bridge in Talma Union. The victim was immediately rescued and admitted to Faridpur Medical College Hospital for urgent treatment.

The injured leader, 36-year-old Almgeer Sheikh, hails from Kadamtali village and is the son of Halim Sheikh. He serves as the president of Jamaat in Ward No. 7 of Talma Union, as confirmed by Upazila Jamaat Amir, Md. Sohrab Hossain.

Almgeer Sheikh claimed that the attack was politically motivated. According to him, he was assaulted because he refused to vote for the BNP and insisted on supporting the candidate of the Jamaat-led alliance. Conversely, BNP officials have stated that the incident was not politically driven; instead, it arose from a longstanding land dispute with the attackers.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Almgeer described the attack in detail: while returning home from the market, he was stopped near Kadamtali Bridge by Rashed Molla, son of Rattan Molla, and Milon Sheikh, son of Noyon Sheikh, both from Kadamtali village. They reportedly said, “Your activities are not satisfactory; you must vote for the ‘Dhaner Shish’ candidate.” Almgeer refused, asserting his allegiance to Jamaat and his intention to vote for their alliance’s candidate. In response, the men assaulted him with a hammer and cut him with sharp weapons, leaving him seriously injured.

In a statement, Upazila BNP Organisational Secretary Shawkat Sharif confirmed the assault but attributed it to a property dispute rather than political rivalry.

Following the incident, the Jamaat-supported alliance candidate for Faridpur-2 (Nagarkanda-Saltha), Shah Akram Ali, and Upazila Jamaat Amir Sohrab Hossain visited Almgeer in hospital. They claimed that the attackers, previously supporters of the Awami League, had recently joined the BNP and were engaging in violent activities to intimidate opponents.

Nagarkanda Police Station Officer-in-Charge, Rasul Samdani Azad, said that police had inspected the site immediately after the incident. Written complaints were requested from both Almgeer Sheikh and the Jamaat-backed candidate to facilitate a formal investigation.

Summary of the Incident

The incident has heightened tensions in the area, prompting local authorities to intensify investigations to apprehend the attackers and prevent further violence.