Bogura: A city of crime

A young man's unidentified body found floating in a river. A father beaten to death for refusing to marry off his teenage daughter to a 42-year-old man. Two police officers stabbed while attempting to arrest a convict. A family fleeing their home on Eid day with their sacrificial animal to escape a teenage gang’s wrath. Incidents of theft, abduction, and stabbings continue unabated. Even court premises are not safe. Altogether, Bogura appears increasingly trapped in a growing web of lawlessness and crime.

On June 14, in the Fulbari area of Bogura city, a youth named Shakil Mia was abducted and beaten to death. A video of the brutal incident later surfaced on social media.

According to allegations, Jitu Islam—a known criminal and Joint Secretary of the district’s Swechchhasebak Dal (a volunteer wing of a political party)—wanted to marry Shakil's underage daughter. When Shakil refused, Jitu and his associates murdered him. Following the incident, Jitu was expelled from his party’s primary membership.

Both the victim, Shakil, and the accused, Jitu, were residents of the Shibbati area in Bogura city.

That same day, another youth, Bidyut Sheikh, was stabbed to death in the Katnarpara neighborhood of the city.

On June 15, two police officers were stabbed while attempting to arrest Muradunnabi Nishan, a convict in a narcotics case, at his home in Shikarpur village in Bogura Sadar.

The officers—Assistant Sub-Inspector (ATSI) Md. Jahangir Alam and Constable Manikuzzaman from Bogura’s Suburban Police Outpost—were ambushed and stabbed during the operation. Nishan fled the scene but was apprehended by law enforcement on June 19.

On June 7, Eid-ul-Azha day, a family fled their home in Bogura's Maltinagar area, taking their freshly slaughtered sacrificial animal with them. They feared an attack from a local teenage gang known as the Raton Group. Although they called the national emergency number 999 and police were dispatched, the situation remained unresolved. Under police protection, the family left their home to save their lives and returned only three days later.

The conflict reportedly began when a member of the Raton Group recklessly hit a pedestrian—one of the family members—with his motorcycle. When asked to drive more carefully, the gang member became enraged. Later, the gang vandalized the family’s home in retaliation.

Due to fear of further retaliation, the victimized family did not dare file a police complaint and initially wished to keep the incident secret.

Earlier, on June 2, a man named Saiful Islam was fatally stabbed in Shajahanpur upazila of Bogura. A rickshaw-puller, whose identity remains unknown, brought the injured Saiful to Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital (SZRMC), where he later died. Saiful was from Patiya upazila in Chattogram, and his family has filed a case with Shajahanpur police station.

On June 21, the body of another unidentified young man was recovered from the Karatoa River in the Bejora area of Shajahanpur upazila. As of now, his identity remains unknown, confirmed Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Shafiqul Islam of Shajahanpur Police Station.

When contacted, Bogura Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Hossain Muhammad Raihan told Views Bangladesh, “Bogura is a densely populated area, and many murders occur due to personal disputes. While it is not always possible to prevent every individual case, police are on high alert to stop clashes from escalating into killings. We ensure no deterioration of law and order occurs in areas where police presence exists.”

On June 22, following the arrest of Abdul Matin—a former Ward 4 councilor, ex-Jubo League leader, and a known criminal—an attack occurred in the premises of the Bogura court. His brother-in-law Millat, who came to see him, was also assaulted in front of law enforcement officials. Millat was later taken into custody.

Asked about the incident, police officer Hossain Muhammad Raihan said, “I personally intervened to protect those under attack in the court premises. Despite that, some unexpected incidents did occur.”

Previously, on May 5, SM Millat Hossain, acting principal of Bogura Homeopathic College and district president of the Bangladesh Freedom Homeopathic Doctors' Council, was assaulted. He also serves as General Secretary of the district branch of the Bangabandhu Council. Members of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP) and the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement allegedly orchestrated a mob attack against him, after which he was taken into custody by law enforcement.

Allegations persist that no legal action has been taken by law enforcement against those responsible for mob violence in Bogura. Meanwhile, incidents of theft, robbery, muggings, and murders continue to rise, leaving residents feeling increasingly unsafe in the district.