The vast charlands of the Padma River in Bangladesh’s northern district of Natore have descended into a sustained cycle of violence, extortion and territorial conflict, with at least seven people killed over the past nine months amid clashes between rival armed groups.
Escalating violence in the riverine frontier
The char region under Lalpur Upazila has become a volatile corridor where multiple armed factions compete for control over sand extraction sites, agricultural land, and fishing rights. Local residents describe a climate of fear shaped by recurring gun battles, intimidation of fishermen, and forced seizures of farmland and reed fields.
At the centre of this unrest is the so-called “Kakon Bahini”, an armed group allegedly led by Hasanuzzaman Kakon, who is locally known by the alias “Engineer Kakon”. The group is accused of maintaining dominance over key river ghats and sand zones through heavily armed enforcers operating speedboats and trawlers along the Padma River.
Security sources and local accounts indicate that clashes between rival groups, including competing factions over sand leases, have repeatedly turned deadly across adjoining areas of Bাঘা Upazila, Ishwardi Upazila, and Daulatpur Upazila.
Recent fatal incidents
The most recent killing occurred on 16 June, when a fisherman named Sahabul Islam, aged 45, was shot dead while fishing at dawn in the Writer Char area. Witnesses reported that assailants opened fire from the riverbank onto his boat.
Earlier, on 9 June, the body of Azijul Haque (35) was recovered from the river inside a floating speedboat near Char Jajira. Investigators believe he was killed during a late-night gunfight between rival groups over control of a sand extraction zone, before his body was dumped into the river.
Overview of key incidents
Date
Location
Victim
Incident
16 June
Writer Char, Lalpur
Sahabul Islam (45)
Shot dead while fishing
9 June
Char Jajira
Azijul Haque (35)
Gunned down amid gang clash; body dumped in river
Various (9 months)
Padma char belt
At least 7 victims
Ongoing armed clashes and territorial violence
Armed control and political concerns
Reports suggest that the Kakon group, allegedly comprising around one hundred armed operatives, frequently uses speedboats to storm disputed ghats, firing indiscriminately to intimidate rivals and seize control. In one recent incident in the Ishwardi area, armed men allegedly injured a cattle herder while attempting to seize a licensed river landing point.
Although multiple gangs are believed to operate across the chars, security agencies reportedly consider the Kakon faction among the most dangerous due to its mobility, firepower and cross-district reach.
Following earlier large-scale security operations, the situation had briefly stabilised. However, officials now acknowledge a resurgence in violence, with renewed killings and armed demonstrations of force causing widespread panic among farmers and fishing communities who increasingly avoid the river for fear of attack.
Concerns over deteriorating security have also reached parliament, where Abu Sayeed Chowdhury recently called for decisive action to restore order and curb criminal dominance in the char regions.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Shariful Haque confirmed that two separate cases have been filed, with naval police leading investigations. He added that law enforcement agencies are actively working to stabilise the situation in the riverine belt.
As tensions persist, the Padma charlands remain a fragile frontier where livelihoods and lives are increasingly overshadowed by armed contestation and impunity.
Comments