Pabna Correspondent

A bloody clash has erupted between two sides over the construction of a mosque in Bera upazila of Pabna. At least 30 people from both sides have been injured in the incident. Five of them are in critical condition. 

The incident took place at around 9 am on Friday in Tarapur village of Chakla union of the upazila. Bera Model Police Station OC Oliur Rahman confirmed the matter.

Police and local sources say that there are currently two mosques in Tarapur village of the upazila. One is known as the old mosque and the other as the new mosque. A few years ago, a dispute arose over the performance of Qiyam in the Milad Mahfil after prayers in the old mosque. A group including the then cashier of the mosque, Matin Haji, took a stand in favor of performing Qiyam and built a new mosque at that time. Recently, an initiative was taken to build a verandah for this mosque. But another group objected to the construction of two mosques nearby in the same village. On Friday (July 25) morning, when the verandah of the new mosque was being built, that group blocked it. During this time, a bloody clash broke out between about 200-250 people from both sides using country-made weapons including hasua, tata and lathisota. On receiving the information, the police came and took control of the situation. Later, the Upazila Executive Officer also visited the scene. At least 30 people from both sides were injured in the incident. Their bodies were taken to the Upazila Health Complex. The condition of 5 of them is critical. The situation in the area is tense due to the incident.

Dr. Tahmina Sultana Nila, Health and Family Planning Officer of Bera Upazila Health Complex, said, "We have about 30 people receiving treatment here. Currently, two are admitted. As the condition of 5 people is serious, they have been taken to Bogra and Pabna General Hospitals."

Bera Model Police Station OC Oliur Rahman said, "There had been a long-standing dispute between the two parties over the prayer. It turned into a clash on Friday morning when the mosque's veranda was being built. The situation is normal for now. Additional police have been deployed in the area. No arrests have been made in the incident."