BNP activist beaten to death during arbitration in Jhenaidah

A BNP activist has been beaten to death during an arbitration meeting in Maheshpur upazila, Jhenaidah. Upazila BNP president Mehedi Hasan has accused local Jamaat leaders and activists of being responsible for the killing.

The deceased, Jafar Ali, was a resident of Samanta village and a member of BNP’s ward-5 unit in Kazirber union.

According to Maheshpur upazila BNP organising secretary Ziaur Rahman, Jafar Ali had an ongoing dispute over the ownership of a tree with local Jamaat activists Amir Moral, Sajeeb Hossain, and Abbas Ali.

On Thursday, the accused individuals allegedly summoned Jafar Ali to a village intersection, claiming they would resolve the dispute through arbitration. However, upon his arrival, he was brutally beaten by those present. Jafar succumbed to his injuries on the spot.

Following the incident, BNP activists staged a protest against the killing. A team from Maheshpur police station later arrived at the scene to bring the situation under control. Local BNP leaders have announced further demonstrations this afternoon.

This correspondent tried to contact the accused persons. However, they have been absconding since the incident.

Speaking regarding this, Maheshpur upazila Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Faruk Hossain said, “This is a local matter. It has no connection with politics. People from all parties were present there. The allegation that Jamaat activists beat him to death is not right.”

Earlier, on 12 March, at least six people were injured in a clash between BNP and Jamaat near the Shyamkurh Madrasah intersection area of the upazila.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Maheshpur police station officer-in-charge (OC) Fayez Uddin Mridha said, “The body was brought to Maheshpur police station for post-mortem on Thursday. Legal actions will be taken over the killing.”