10 people hacked in clash during Eid prayers in Magura, 8 held

Police have detained eight people over their reported involvement in a clash during Eid prayers, which resulted in multiple casualties and torching of houses, in Sreepur upazila of Magura.

The clash took place at Khardarhua village mosque between two groups, over donation collection for the mosque’s development, during the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers around 9am on Monday, said Sreepur police station OC Mahbubur Rahman.

“We had to fire 50 rounds of blanks to calm the furious locals, after we arrived at the scene. Additional policemen were later deployed in the area to avoid further skirmish,” he added.

The clash took place between the followers of two village leaders named Bakkar Mollah and Nurul Sheikh following an altercation when donations for the mosque was being collected during the Eid prayers.

Followers of the local arbiters have burnt down at least 50 houses in the locality on Eid day

At least 10 people were hacked with sharp weapons and over 50 houses in the area were torched during the clash, said police and locals.

Of the injured, five were in critical condition and admitted to Magura Sadar Hospital, said OC Mahbubur.

A burnt down house on the village clash on Eid day

However, when contacted, leaders of both groups involved in the incident blamed each other for instigating the clash.