Jamaat leader dies over land dispute in Bogura

A local Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader died on Saturday night at a hospital in Dhaka after being brutally beaten during a family land dispute in Dupchanchia Upazila of Bogura.

The deceased, Samrat Hossain Akand Bappa, was the Vice-President of the Youth and Sports Affairs Department of Dupchanchia Sadar Union Jamaat-e-Islami. He succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital in Dhaka after being shifted from Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura as his condition deteriorated.

According to police and family members, a dispute over ancestral property had long existed between Samrat’s father, Rafique Akand, and his younger brother, Abdul Karim Akand, who serves as the Office Secretary of the BNP’s Dupchanchia Sadar Union unit.

The family alleged that Abdul Karim Akand, along with his supporters, attacked Rafique Akand on June 25 following an altercation over the disputed land.

Samrat was allegedly assaulted while trying to save his father. Rafique Akand, 68, his wife Josna Begum, 62, and Samrat sustained injuries and were admitted to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital.

On June 27, Josna Begum filed an attempted murder case with Dupchanchia Police Station against Abdul Karim Akand and 10 others.

Samrat’s wife alleged that a local BNP leader, Hamid, was present at the scene and directed the attack, but his name was not included in the case, raising questions about the investigation conducted by the local police. Police arrested Abdul Karim Akand and his wife, Mithila, from Akkelpur upazila of Joypurhat on July 1.

Following Samrat’s death, an autopsy was conducted at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital on Sunday before the body was handed over to his family.

Officer-in-Charge Tajmilur Rahman of Dupchanchia Police Station said the previously filed attempted murder case would now be converted into a murder case. He added that police had intensified efforts to arrest the remaining absconding accused.