Two hacked to death in Kushtia

Two people have been hacked to death by rivals following a clash over establishing dominance in Khoksa upazila of Kushtia. Another person was seriously injured in the incident.

The incident took place around 12:45am at Debinagar village under Osmanpur union of the upazila on Friday (July 17). Locals claimed that 20 to 30 people took part in the attack.

The deceased were identified as Faruk Hossain, 40, of Debinagar village, and Abdul Shekh, 25, of the neighboring Khanpur village.

According to police and local sources, a clash broke out between two local groups on Friday afternoon. In retaliation, supporters of Mintu Chowkidar launched a sudden attack on Salim Hossain's house with local weapons at night. During the attack, Salim's followers Faruk Hossain, Abdul Shekh, and Mulluk were hacked and injured with cleavers.

Faruk Hossain died on the spot in a critical condition, while Abdul Shekh died on the way to the hospital. The injured Mulluk was rescued and admitted to Kushtia General Hospital.

Molla Zakir Hossain, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Khoksa Police Station, said a dispute had been ongoing for a long time between the supporters of Mintu Chowkidar and Salim Hossain over establishing dominance in the area, leading to this double murder.

He added that additional police forces have been deployed in the area following the incident, and a drive is underway to identify and arrest those involved in the killings.