Three people, including Baroiarhat municipality mayor of Chattogram's Mirsarai, sustained bullet injuries in an attack by miscreants near the Muhuri Project Friday morning.
The injured are Baroiarhat Mayor and local Awami League leader Md Rezaul Karim Khokon, his assistant Ashok Sen and local Jubo League leader Sayeed Khan.
Locals said there had been a dispute between two groups over the lifting of sand from the Feni River in the Muhuri Project area of Sonagazi upazila, Feni.
A team led by Mayor Khokan was going to the project area in the morning to settle the dispute.
A group of miscreants, "led by a local union parishad chairman," fired on the trawler Khokon and his associates were on in the river around 11am, leaving them critically injured, they said.
Nur Hossain Mamun, officer-in-charge of Zorarganj Police Station of Mirsarai, said the injured were first taken to Mirsarai Upazila Health Complex and later shifted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for better treatment.
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The mayor sustained multiple bullet wounds in the abdomen, waist and shoulder, he said, adding that they are looking into the matter.
Our Feni correspondent added that there had been a long-running feud between the mayor and Fazilpur union parishad (UP) Chairman Mujibur Rahman of Feni Sadar upazila over the lifting of sand from the River Feni.
Mujibur said he had no involvement in the attack as he had been in Dhaka for the last three days. "However, the locals told me that the mayor and his supporters got into a clash with them over the sand lifting."
During a drive Tuesday, Sonagazi Upazila Nirbahi Officer SM Manjurul Hoque seized two dredgers, used for lifting of sand, of the UP chairman from the Kalmichar area.
Khaled Hossain Daiyan, officer-in-charge of Sonagazi Police Station, said on information they rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
He said they would take legal action if any written complaint is made.
Dr Mahmuda Akter of Mirsarai Upazila Health Complex said the mayor was shifted to the CMCH due to his critical condition.