2 killed in clash over fishing

Two people were killed and 25 others injured in a clash between two groups of villagers over fishing in a water body in Anuhadi village of Phulbaria upazila yesterday. 

The dead are Abdul Halim Fakir, 28, son of Hossain Ali Fakir, and Amsar Ali, 40, of the village. Halim is the secretary of Rangamatia union unit Jatiya Chhatra Samaj, pro-Jatiya Party student body.

Quoting locals, Rifat Khan Razib, officer-in-charge of Phulbaria Police Station, said there had been a longstanding conflict between Rustom Ali and Amsar of Anuhadi village over catching fish in Borovilar Beel, a water body.

The two groups got locked in an altercation over fishing in the water body around 8:00am yesterday. At one stage, they attacked each other with sharp weapons, injuring around 27 people.

The injured were taken to Phulbaria Upazila Health Complex where Halim and Amsar of the same group died.

Of the other wounded, 17 were shifted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH). Two of them were in a critical condition, police said.

On information, police recovered the bodies and sent those to the MMCH morgue for autopsies.

Police detained three people -- Rustom Ali, Mozaffar Ali Moza, and Abdul Matin -- for their alleged involvement in the killing.