Two killed in bomb attack

Two people were killed after unknown assailants hurled bombs at a tea stall in Gangadaspur village of Chuadanga's Jibonnagar upazila on Monday night.

Victims' families allege that the attack was carried out over a land dispute.

The dead are Mohammad Ali, 50, and Sahabuddin, 70. They were locals.

Quoting witnesses, Humayun Kabir, officer-in-charge of Jibonnagar Police Station, said out of nowhere, a group of some 15 unidentified men threw seven handmade bombs at the tea stall around 7:30pm, killing Ali on the spot and injuring three others.

The injured were rushed to Jessore General Hospital where Sahabuddin died  around 10:30pm. The condition of the other two, including Sahabuddin's wife Maleka Khatun, was critical, said sources at the hospital.

Locals and police said some 46 landless families, including the ones of the victims, have been living on 116 Bighas of government land (Khas land), allocated for “Gangadaspur Bhumihin Samity”, in the village since 1973. 

Ali had been having a dispute over his land with Abdul Hye Tuku, an influential Awami League leader in the area, for the last three years.

Tuku could not be reached despite repeated attempts over phone.

Police have detained three ruling party men -- Solo Goldar, Ayub Ali and Badar Uddin -- over the incident.

Contacted, Solaiman Haq Joardar Selun, chief of Chuadanga AL, admitted that the trio were involved with his party.

Belayat Hossain, additional superintendent of police in the district, said additional members of law enforcement agencies had been deployed in the area to avoid any untoward situation.

”We are raiding several places to arrest all the killers,” he said.