Clash over village dominance in Vanga wounds 50, blocks highway for three hours

A violent clash between residents of rival villages in Faridpur's Bhanga upazila left more than 50 people injured — including police personnel — and brought traffic on the Faridpur-Dhaka-Barisal highway to a standstill for nearly three hours on Sunday morning (June 28).

The confrontation broke out at Pukhuria Bus Stand area in the upazila, with participants wielding locally-made weapons, sticks, and bricks in what eyewitnesses described as scenes of near-total hassle that sent panic rippling through the locality.

Police and local sources said the clash stemmed from a long-running dispute over village dominance between residents of Mowji Mohosardi village of Hamirdi Union and inhabitants of Pukhuriaya, Brahmankhanda, and three other villages under Manikdi Union.

Officers from Bhanga Police Station rushed to the scene but were met with escalating violence, compelling them to fire several rounds of teargas to disperse the warring factions.

The intensity of the clash caused a complete suspension of traffic on the key Faridpur-Dhaka-Barisal highway, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides of the road and triggering severe gridlock. Reinforcements eventually restored order, after which traffic resumed normally.

Md Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Bhanga Police Station, confirmed the incident, saying police used teargas to bring the situation under control and that conditions had since returned to normal.

The injured are receiving treatment at local hospitals. Police have launched an investigation to establish the full circumstances of the clash and identify those responsible.