BNP leader killed in Adabar over World Cup match dispute

A local BNP leader was killed and another injured following a clash in the capital's Adabar area on Wednesday night, July 2. The incident occurred after a dispute over watching a World Cup football match escalated into violence.

Md Abul Bashar, 45, general secretary of Adabar's Navodaya Housing unit BNP, was declared dead at Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 11:45 pm. Another injured person, Md Saddam Hossain, 35, is undergoing treatment.

According to police and family sources, the clash took place around 8:30 pm at the Navodaya Housing D-Block area. A dispute over blowing whistles during a Brazil-Japan World Cup match a few days earlier had led to tensions between Bashar and a local youth. A local arbitration meeting was organised on Wednesday night to resolve the issue, but it ended in violence when both sides clashed.

Bashar's elder brother, Sabuj Mia, claimed that 8-10 people attacked Bashar and Saddam with sharp weapons as they were returning from the arbitration meeting.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Jewel Rana said Bashar was hacked to death with sharp weapons. Efforts are underway to arrest those involved.

Bashar worked as a private car driver and leaves behind his wife, a son and a daughter.

Police have deployed additional forces in the area and are investigating the incident.