Six people, including three local BNP leaders, have been arrested in Patgram, Lalmonirhat, after they allegedly entered a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) camp and attempted to take away a dredger seized during a raid against illegal stone extraction.
The incident took place at the Alauddin Nagar BGB camp in Patgram upazila on Tuesday night, 8 September. The group has also been accused of threatening BGB personnel on duty and obstructing government officials in the course of their work.
The following day, Wednesday, 9 September, Patgram Police formally showed the six as arrested in a case filed by BGB. They were produced before a court at around noon, after which the judge ordered that they be sent to jail.
Those arrested are Rafiqul Islam, organising secretary of Burimari Union BNP; Ayub Ali, general secretary of Ward No. 6 BNP; Abu Sayeed, general secretary of the same ward’s Jubo Volunteer Party; and local BNP and affiliated organisation activists Matiur Rahman, Shahadat Hossain and Dulal Mia.
According to police and BGB sources, a BGB patrol team received information on Tuesday night that stones were being extracted illegally from the Dharla River in the Mecherg hat area of Alauddin Nagar. The team subsequently conducted an operation in the area and seized a dredger allegedly being used for the extraction.
The BGB personnel then took the dredger to the Alauddin Nagar camp and kept it there.
News of the seizure reportedly spread among local residents and political activists. According to the allegations made by BGB, Rafiqul Islam led a group of local activists who entered the camp after learning that the dredger had been seized.
The group allegedly behaved aggressively towards BGB personnel, issued threats and attempted to forcibly take away the confiscated machine. The situation became tense inside the camp, prompting BGB personnel to take immediate measures to bring the situation under control. The six individuals were detained at the scene and later handed over to Patgram Police.
The case centres on allegations of obstructing government duties, threatening personnel on duty and attempting to recover a machine that had been seized during an operation against alleged illegal stone extraction.
Patgram Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saiful Rahman confirmed the arrests. He said BGB had filed a case over the alleged intrusion into the camp, threats against its personnel and obstruction of official duties. The six were subsequently shown arrested in the case and sent to jail through the court.
The incident began with a BGB operation targeting alleged illegal stone extraction from the Dharla River. The seizure of the dredger was followed by the alleged attempt to enter the camp and recover the machine, leading to arrests and a criminal case.
