Village clash over graveyard injures 50
At least 50 people were injured on Friday morning after a long-running dispute over control and access to a graveyard erupted into a violent clash between residents of two villages in Kalmakanda upazila of Netrokona.
The incident took place in the Amgara area of Rongchati Union, involving residents of Amgara and Puliya Paneshwarpada villages.
Around 50 injured people received treatment at Kalmakanda Upazila Health Complex, while at least 15 were admitted for further care, according to hospital officials.
Dr Muhammad Al Mamun of the health complex said doctors were struggling to manage the sudden influx of patients. The injured were being treated as police cases.
Several properties were also damaged during the violence. Police said three shops at Amgara Bazar and an auto-rickshaw were vandalised. According to local residents, the dispute centres on a graveyard located beside Amgara Bazar and has continued for a long time.
Dulal Mia, a resident of Amgara, claimed the graveyard is public and has traditionally been used by people from eight surrounding villages. He alleged that residents of Puliya Paneshwarpada were attempting to establish exclusive control over it.
However, Md Kalam of Puliya Paneshwarpada disputed the claim, saying land documents related to the graveyard are registered in the names of people from his village. He accused Amgara residents of attempting to take control of the land by force.
Kalmakanda Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Mostafizur Rahman said tensions escalated after residents of Amgara attempted to set up shops beside the graveyard, drawing objections from people in Puliya Paneshwarpada.
Police rushed to the area and eventually brought the situation under control.
Preliminary information suggests around 50 to 60 people from both sides were injured during the clash.
Additional police personnel have been deployed in the area amid concerns that further violence could break out. Authorities said the situation is currently under control.
