PABNA, May 23 (V7N) - A violent clash erupted in the Pathailhat area of Nagdemra union under Santhia upazila on Friday night, leaving at least five people injured following the vandalism and looting of houses and shops belonging to BNP supporters. The attackers reportedly used a local mosque's microphone to mobilize their group and launch the synchronized assault to establish territorial dominance. Law enforcement authorities acted swiftly following the riot, arresting four individuals from the scene, including the prime suspect.

Local sources and police personnel stated that an intense political dispute has been brewing between local Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP supporters in the Pathailhat locality since the last parliamentary elections. The friction escalated earlier this March when two separate cases were filed against local Jamaat activists for allegedly vandalizing shops and forcibly looting crops from land owned by BNP supporters. The accused individuals, who were recently released on bail, had reportedly been continuously threatening the victims to withdraw the legal cases prior to Friday's outbreak.

The fresh wave of violence was triggered on Friday afternoon over an administrative dispute regarding the management, control, and pandal arrangements of the local Chhota Pathailhat Eidgah ground for the upcoming Eid prayers. Jamaat supporters reportedly demanded sole authority over the religious ground, threatening to bar opposing residents from offering their prayers. As arguments peaked by Friday evening, a group of miscreants forcibly took control of the local mosque's microphone from the muezzin, Mokshed Pramanik, and broadcast a public call arms, prompting an armed group carrying country-made weapons to take to the streets.

During the ensuing riot, the armed group systematically targeted the residential properties of two brothers, identified as Rafiq and Shafiq, alongside a local commercial establishment owned by a businessman named Russell Hossain. The victim businessman reported that the attackers completely ransacked his grocery, fertilizer, and mobile banking shop before breaking into his home to assault his family. The rioters allegedly looted two lakh Taka in liquid cash from the mobile banking counter along with agricultural pesticides and merchandise, causing an estimated total financial damage of 1.5 million Taka.

Local youth political leaders alleged that the attackers had previously occupied agricultural lands in the area and targeted victims specifically for their political alignment during the national elections. Victims further alleged that the perpetrators were acting under the direct patronage of the local Member of Parliament for the Pabna-1 constituency, Barrister Nazibur Rahman Momen.

However, Member of Parliament Barrister Nazibur Rahman Momen firmly denied any personal or organizational involvement in the incident, stating that he only learned of the violence through media channels. The lawmaker emphasized that criminal acts should not be given a partisan color, asserting that his administration does not exercise political influence over law enforcement and demands that the actual perpetrators be tried strictly under the law regardless of their background.

Following the attack on Friday night, the affected businessman filed a formal case with the Santhia Police Station, explicitly naming 20 individuals suspected of orchestrating the riot. Police immediately launched a series of specialized raids across the union, successfully apprehending four key suspects, including the principal accused, Hazrat Ali Master, alongside Shakil, Rabiul Islam Kalu, and Mehedi Hasan Jewel.

In protest of the violence and looting, a large group of victims and local residents organized a peaceful human chain demonstration in front of the vandalized shops on Saturday afternoon. The demonstrators demanded immediate judicial justice, long-term security guarantees for the village, and the rapid arrest of the remaining named suspects who fled the area after the police intervention.

Santhia Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Rafiqul Islam confirmed that a regular criminal case has been registered and the four arrested suspects are being processed through the judicial system. He added that senior police detectives are currently conducting an in-depth investigation into the specific allegations of house vandalism and financial looting, assuring the public that active police operations will continue across Pabna district until every fugitive involved in the riot is brought under custody.

END/SRP/RH