At least six activists of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal were shot after a dispute over stopping people from smoking in public escalated into an armed attack in Noakhali’s Sonaimuri upazila.

The shooting took place at around 8:30 pm on Friday, 26 June, at the Noagaon intersection in Sonapur union.

Among the injured, Sonapur Union Chhatra Dal Vice-President Nayeem Hasan, 23, and ward unit General Secretary Asik, 21, sustained serious gunshot wounds. Both were admitted to Noakhali 250-Bed General Hospital. As Nayeem’s condition deteriorated, he was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. The other four injured activists are receiving treatment at Sonaimuri Upazila Health Complex.

According to local sources, the dispute began on Thursday afternoon when Chhatra Dal leader Nayeem Hasan and his associates objected to a group of teenagers and young men smoking in public. An argument followed between the two sides. The confrontation allegedly culminated on Friday night when a group of youths arrived at Noagaon intersection, launched a surprise attack on the Chhatra Dal activists and opened indiscriminate fire.

Mahmud Hasan, joint convener of Sonaimuri Upazila BNP, alleged that the attack had been planned in retaliation for preventing public smoking. He demanded the immediate arrest of those involved and exemplary punishment for the perpetrators.

After a video of the incident circulated on social media, Noakhali Superintendent of Police NM Nasir Uddin visited the scene and instructed officers to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.

Sonaimuri Police Station Officer-in-Charge Kabir Hossain told the media that the violence stemmed from a dispute between the two groups over smoking. A case has been filed naming 12 accused, and police operations to arrest the suspects are continuing.

Source: Channel 24.