Traders and residents of Harashpur railway station in Madhabpur of Habiganj were reportedly attacked and looted.
The incident took place on Friday afternoon when a group of assailants attacked the traders and residents of the Harashpur railway station area.
During the attack, 20 to 30 shops were looted, leaving over 100 people injured. Among the injured, Raju Ahmed from Shialuri village and Jamal Mia from Sultanpur village were in critical condition.
According to sources, some attackers were residents of Bijoynagar in Brahmanbaria district. The violence reportedly stemmed from a dispute over the appointment of an imam at a local mosque in Harashpur.
Armed with local weapons, the attackers targeted the shops at Harashpur railway station. The severity of the situation prompted intervention by the army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and police to bring the situation under control.
Faruk Ahmed, chairman of the local Dharmanagar Union said, a group of men from Bijoynagar used the mosque dispute as an excuse to vandalize and loot at least 30 to 40 shops in Harashpur market, leaving many injured. He described the attack on defenseless people as unprecedented.
Jabed Masud, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Madhabpur Police Station confirmed the matter.
The situation has now somewhat stabilized, said the OC.
An investigation is underway, and legal action will be taken, he added.
Derailment in Gazipur halts rail communication with the north
Besides, a bogie of the Dhaka-bound Padma Express train from Rajshahi derailed at Salna in Gazipur. As a result, train service between Dhaka and the northern part of the country has been suspended.
The incident occurred around 8:45 pm on Friday, as confirmed by Hanif Ali, the station master of Joydebpur Railway Junction.
According to the station master, the last bogies of the Padma Express derailed in the Salna area on the Dhaka-Rajshahi rail route.
The train continued its journey towards Dhaka after detaching the derailed bogies at the site. As a result of the derailment, train services between Dhaka and north have been disrupted.
