Clashes between police and local people in Saltha upazila of Faridpur district left a young man dead and 20 people, including eight policemen, injured on the first day of lockdown on Monday.

Disclosing the information on Tuesday, Md Alimuzzaman, Police Super of Faridpur, said a fierce attack was carried out on government offices and the houses of government officials following a rumour.

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Police and Rab personnel fired bullets and lobbed teargas shells to bring the situation under control, the SP added.

Among the injured, Zubayer Hossain, 20, son of Ashraf Ali of Ramakantapur village in the upazila, died while being treated at a hospital.

A number of offices and houses were vandalised and set on fire by locals during the three-hour mayhem that continued from 8 pm to 11 pm on Monday night, the SP said.

The Upazila Parishad building, residence of Upazila Nirbahi Officer, police station, office of Assistant Commissioner (land), upazila agriculture office, and sub-registry office, among others, were vandalised and some of those were even torched, the SP said.

Vehicles of Saltha UNO and the AC Land were also set on fire, said Upazila Parishad Chairman Wadud Matabbar.

Meanwhile, police arrested three people in this connection and no case was filed yet over the gruesome incident.

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Hasib Sarkar, Saltha Upazila Nibahi Officer (UNO), said, “The attack was carried out after the spread of a rumour in a planned way.”

How it occurred

It all happened when AC Land Marufa Sultana Khan Hiramoni went there with her team to see how the government-enforced lockdown was going on and health protocols were followed, said UNO Hasib Sarkar.

Seeing the gatherings of some people, Marufa Sultana returned to her office and sent a team of police there.

The UNO said there had been an altercation between police and local people, and the locals, at one stage, attacked sub-inspector Mizanur Rahman.

Later, a rumour spread in the area that some people died in police firing and two maulanas of two madrasahs were being assaulted at the police station after arrest, the UNO said.

Later, several hundred people marched towards the local police station and set fire to government organisations, including upazila parishad, police station, assistant land commissioner office, UNO’s residence, Upazila Agriculture office, sub-registry office and Upazila chairman’s office.

They also vandalised the vehicle of UNO and set it on fire.

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The UNO said police are trying to identify the attackers after seeing the video footage.

Additional members of law enforcement agencies have been deployed after the incident.