A Correspondent:
Magura: Following the murder of a man at Magura’s Sadar upazila, a former chairman of Beril Polita Union Parishad and his cohorts retaliated by committing extensive looting, vandalism, and arson in Monirampur, Barajoka, and Ramdergati.
Additional Superintendent of Magua Police, Mohammad Kalimullah said quoting locals, more than a hundred people, including Alfaz Molla, Mannan Molla, Gani Sheikh, Rezaul Sheikh, Sabuj Molla, Arab Ali Molla, Saiful Molla, Yar Ali Molla, and Habibullah Fakir, armed themselves with local weapons and targeted around 50 houses in the villages.
The attackers beat the women at home, looted household goods such as cows, goats, televisions, refriger-ators, and motorcycles, ransacked houses, and set them on fire using petrol.
In total, they burned down approximately 40 houses, looted 4 cows, a television, a fridge, rice, and other household goods, and killed 5 goats.
The houses of about fifty people, including Moktar Sheikh, Lutfar Sheikh, Haresh Sheikh, Siddique Molla, Jalil Molla, Omar Molla, Daud Molla, Kader Molla, Farid Molla, Matiyar Shikder, and Channu Molla, were looted and set on fire. A shop was also set ablaze.
The police intervened and fired blanks to disperse the attackers, and two units of the Magura Fire Ser-vice worked for two hours to extinguish some of the flames.
Additional police have been deployed in the area to prevent any further incidents.
Additional Superintendent of Police Md. Kalimullah, along with the police administration, the Deputy Commissioner, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer, and the Officers in charge of Sadar Thana, visited the spot.
The police have already arrested 11 people, including the current chairman Enamul Haque Raja, former chairman Khandkar Mohabbat Ali, UP members Fatuar Rahman, Morad Molla, Muhidullah Fakir, and Zahid Molla, for being involved in fueling the incident and direct attacks and murders.
Atar Molla was allegedly killed by his opponent on Thursday evening. The police buried his body at the local Eidgah Maidan on Friday afternoon.
