Youth beat dead in Noakhali; homes of suspects attacked, set ablaze

Relatives of a young man who was beaten to death, along with local residents, attacked, vandalised and set fire to eight houses belonging to suspected assailants in Begumganj Upazila of Noakhali on Sunday.

The violence followed the killing of Jubayer Hossain, 23, who was allegedly beaten to death on Saturday night. Police later brought the situation under control and deployed additional personnel in the area.

According to police and local residents, Jubayer Hossain alias Rakib was attacked with iron rods by assailants in the Prak-Munshirhat area at around 9:00 pm on Saturday. He sustained severe injuries to his head and other parts of his body. His brother, Rimon, was also assaulted when he tried to intervene. Rakib was taken to Noakhali General Hospital, where physicians declared him dead.

In the aftermath of the killing, angry relatives and local residents launched attacks on the homes of several individuals in the Swarnapara area, including those identified locally as Montaz Member, goldsmith Rafiqullah, Parveen Akter and Mamun at around 11:00 am today.

Attackers vandalised, looted and then set fire to at least eight structures, including residential houses and kitchens.

Md Shamsuzzaman, officer-in-charge of Begumganj Model police station, said the attacks were carried out by Rakib’s relatives and other agitated residents targeting the homes of people suspected of involvement in the killing.

He said police responded quickly, brought the situation under control and extinguished the fires with assistance from local residents. Additional police and detective branch personnel have since been deployed.

Local residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there had been a longstanding dispute between two neighbourhood groups in Khanpur village.

According to them, an argument involving two goldsmiths escalated, and Rakib had attempted to calm the situation by urging the parties not to create disturbances in the market. One side allegedly became angered by his intervention, leading to the fatal attack later that night.

Abu Tayyab Md Arif Hossain, additional superintendent of police in the district, said extra police and detective branch members had been sent to the Sharifpur area of Begumganj to maintain order.

He added that authorities would not allow any deterioration in the law-and-order situation and that legal action would be taken both over the killing and over the subsequent attacks, vandalism and arson, based on complaints from affected families.