50 injured as villagers clash
At least 50 people, including four policemen and two journalists, were injured in a clash, which broke out between the residents of two neighbouring villages in the sadar upazila following an altercation yesterday.
Eighteen of the injured were sent to Sarail Upazila Health Complex, 12 to Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital, and the rest to four private clinics.
Witnesses and police said the altercation started when a patient of Betbaria village of the sadar upazila died after being refused admission to Biswa Road Private General Hospital.
The clash involved hundreds of residents of Kuttapara village of Sarail upazila and Betbaria village. The rioters were armed with sharp and locally-made weapons.
The one-and-a-half-hour long conflict, which took place at Khatihata Biswaroad roundabout, caused a tailback of traffic as long as seven kilometres on both sides of Dhaka-Sylhet highway that divides the two villages.
The rioters allegedly snatched mobile phones and money of the passengers of the inter-district buses, which were caught in the conflict, some of the victims said.
Police fired 87 rubber bullets and 39 rounds of tear gas shells to subdue the clashing villagers, said Md Shah Alam Bakaul, assistant superintendent of police (ASP) of sadar circle of Brahmanbaria, who led a police team to the scene.
He said additional police were deployed at the roundabout. The situation remained calm now, but no arrest was made and no-one was sued yet, he added.
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