Three people including a police official were injured in a clash between two groups of people at Shalgharmadhua village in Kumarkhali upazila in the district Wednesday.

Hundreds of houses on both sides have been vandalized in the incident. Police fired 15 rounds of shotgun shells to control the situation. Police arrested 10 people from the spot.

The injured were identified as Farid, 38, and Rashidul Haque, 35, of Shalgharmadhua village. The injured are undergoing treatment at Kumarkhali Upazila Health Complex.

According to police and local sources, Zafar and Liton groups have been at loggerheads with local college lecturers Ali Hossain and Tofazzal group for a long time. Supporter of Tofazzel beat up one Arif, a supporter of Zafar after he was found in Tofazzel area on April 4.

As a result of this incident, on April 6, both sides got involved in a clash with domestic weapons. Mukul of Zafar group and Wadud of Tofazzal group were injured in the clash.

At that time about 15 to 20 houses on both sides were vandalized. Both sides filed a case.

In the early hours of Wednesday (April 28), supporters of the Tofazzal group started vandalizing the homes of Farooq, Rashidul and others of the Zafar group.

Supporters of both sides clashed with local weapons and vandalized and set fire to hundreds of houses. Upon receiving the news, police reached the spot and fired blank shots to normalize the situation. At that time Farooq was shot.

Officer-in-charge (investigation) of Kumarkhali police station Rakib Hasan said the two sides have been at loggerheads for a long time over dominance. There are two cases in this regard.
Additional police are currently deployed in the area.