Two people were injured in a violent attack allegedly carried out by their paternal cousins following a land dispute in the Alekharchar area of Cumilla’s Adarsha Sadar upazila on Friday. Locals said the victims are Mahbubur Rahman and his sister, Sheuli Akter. Armed attackers rob bank officials of Tk 7 lakh; 4 injured A video of the attack has gone viral on social media. Sheuli went to Kotwali Police Station to file a case over the matter but police denied to take the case on Saturday. When contacted on Saturday evening, officer-in-charge of the police station said, "The case is yet to be registered and we are looking into the matter." Witnesses said that the victims’ paternal cousins—Mazharul Haque, his son Mahi, and Mokhlesur Rahman—brutally assaulted Mahbubur with bamboo sticks. According to Sheuli, the trouble began when Mahbubur confronted them as they attempted to demolish a boundary wall she had built to protect her legally purchased property. “They attacked my brother with bamboo sticks and local weapons, causing serious injuries. He has been hospitalised with head injuries,” Sheuli said. She also alleged that the attackers demanded Tk 5 lakh as extortion and destroyed the boundary wall, resulting in a loss of Tk 1 lakh. Abdul Karim, Sheuli’s husband, said that their family has endured harassment and threats from the accused for several months. “Despite having all the legal documents in our names, they continue to verbally abuse and physically harm my wife’s family,” he emphasised, highlighting the prolonged nature of the conflict. When asked, Mokhlesur Rahman acknowledged that Sheuli is the legitimate owner of the disputed land but claimed that Mazharul Haque refuses to recognise her ownership. Five injured in attack at Narsingdi Bar Association office

A man was stabbed to death allegedly by his rivals over a land dispute in Palashbari upazila of Gaibandha on Tuesday evening. The deceased was Bablu Mia, a resident of Kariyata village under Dhossainpur union of the upazila. Locals said there had long been a dispute between victim Bablu and neighbour Matiar over the ownership of a piece of land in the village. Centring the land, Matiar allegedly stabbed Bablu with the knife, leaving him dead on the spot and five more injured. Read: Union-level AL leader stabbed dead in Narsingdi Palashbari police station’s Officer-in-Charge Zulfikar Ali Bhutto confirmed the matter saying that they recovered the body.

A woman and her SSC examinee daughter were hacked to death over land dispute in Durgapur village under Gopalganj sadar upazila on Sunday (February 18, 2024) night. The deceased were identified as Beauty Begum, 40, and her daughter Lamia, 16, of Durgapur village under Jalalabad union of the upazila. The daughter was an SSC examinee from Khalia United Academy. Police and locals there had been a long dispute between Lamia’s father Tuku and her uncle Harun over ancestral land in the village. Around 7:30 am on Sunday, as Lamia entered uncle Harun’s yard while talking on her mobile phone he asked her to leave the yard and hurled abusive words, leading to an altercation between Lamia’s mother Beauty and her uncle. Read more: Man killed ‘by daughter’ in Chuadanga, wife, daughter held At one stage of the altercation over the matter, Harun, equipped with sharp weapons, hacked Beauty and Lamia, leaving them critically injured. Hearing their screams, locals rushed in and took them to 250-bed Adhunik Hospital in Sadar upazila where physicians declared them dead upon arrival. Sadar police station Officer-in-Charge (investigation) Harun-Or-Rashid though the accused and his family went into hiding shortly after the murders police managed to arrest Harun. The bodies were sent to the Sadar hospital morgue for autopsy, the police officer added. Read more: Man hacked to death over extramarital affair in Rangpur

A freedom fighter was tied to a tree and tortured allegedly by his neighbors over a land dispute in Hathazari upazila of Chattogram. The attackers ransacked freedom fighter Ahmed Hossain’s house and later built a boundary wall on his land. Police have arrested Ahmed’s neighour Nahida Sultana in this connection. Her husband Lokman, and other main accused went into hiding. After a video on his torture caused a stir in social media, police and the UNO of Hathazari upazila went to the victim’s house. Also read: Son masterminded freedom fighter's killing in N'ganj for money: PBI Shahidul Islam, the UNO of Hathajari upazila, said, “Upon receiving information, I, along with police officers and other freedom fighters, went to the spot. The boundary wall was demolished at my command.” Also Read: Freedom fighter in Lalmonirhat murdered Ruhul Amin Sabuj, officer-in-charge of Hathajari Model police station, said a case was filed. “We detained the main accused’s wife. Steps are being taken to detain Lokman and his cohorts,” he said.    

Rahima Begum, who was found alive in Faridpur in September last year 29 days after disappearance, was not abducted but her daughter Mariam Mannan staged the ‘abducted drama’ in a bid to implicate their neighbour in a case over land dispute, said Police Bureau of investigation (PBI). Khulna Superintendent of Police Syed Mushfiqur Rahman revealed these information at a press briefing held at PBI office around 11:30 am on Monday (February 13, 2023). The PBI submitted the investigation report to the Metropolitan Judge in the morning. “We have not found any evidence of abduction rather evidences show that Mariam Mannan plotted the abduction drama in a bid to implicate their neighbor in a case over land dispute,” he said. Also read; Rahima’s statement on ‘disappearance’ misleading: PBI “As part of the plan, Rahima herself went into hiding and changed her locations frequently during this period. On October 27, last year, she went to Dhaka and after living there for some days, Mariam sent her to Bandarban with some clothes and medicines. Later, she went to the house of one Abdul Kuddus at Boalmari in Faridpur district where police traced her,” he added.

A woman was stabbed to death allegedly by her rivals in Ghoraghat upazila of Dinajpur district over land dispute on Saturday morning. The deceased was identified as Amena Begum, wife of Sekendar Ali, a resident of Baro Paikerghar village in Ghoraghat Upazila. Locals said when Amena’s rivals went to cultivate a disputed land she obstructed them leading to an altercation. At one stage, they stabbed her with a sharp weapon, leaving her dead on the spot. Abdul Wahab, Duty Officer and Sub-Inspector of Ghoraghat Police Station, said police reached the spot and necessary actions will be taken. Read more: Man stabbed dead in Chattagram However, this is the 3rd murder incident in Ghoraghat Upazila in a span of 10 days over ownership of land. On January 25, two people were killed and four were injured in a clash between two groups over land dispute in the upazila.

A Jubo League leader was hacked to death and five others were injured in a clash between two groups of villagers over occupying a piece of disputed land in Pabna’s Chatmohar upazila on Friday. Anisur Rahman Anis was vice-president of Parswodanga Union Jubo League, and son of late Akbar Ali of Prabhakar Para village in the upazila. Anis was 50. Locals rushed him to the upazila health complex, but the doctors declared him dead on arrival. The injured are Jakirul Sarker, Badrul Islam, Aslam Hossain, Nahid Hossain, and Monsur Rahman. Jakirul, admitted at Pabna General Hospital, is said to be in critical condition. Locals said there was a longstanding dispute between Anis and one Aynal Haque over ownership of the land in question. On Friday morning, Anis started building a fence around it. The barbaric clash was triggered as when Aynal and his men tried to stop the fence from being put up. The injured come from both sides. Jalal Uddin, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Chatmohar Police Station, said that three people were detained immediately for interrogation. Due process to file a case in connection with the incident is being followed, the OC added.

The government is contemplating on ‘Prevention and Remedies of Land Related Offences Act’ to reduce the number of land-related lawsuits as it thinks the major share of the country’s criminal and civil cases originate from land disputes. Once enacted, according to an official document, the government thinks that it will enable immediate trial of the land-related offences and reduce the number of criminal and civil cases involving land. As per available data, nearly 3.7 million cases remain pending at courts, including the Supreme Court. To reduce the number of land-related lawsuits, the government has taken steps to reform existing laws and regulations and introduce new ones, the document says. The government has taken steps to complete quickly and timely the e-mutation in land management, collection of land development tax online, and distribution of ledger and mouza map through the postal department, it says.  The e-mutation activities have been introduced in a total of 487 Upazila and Circle Land Offices and 3,617 Union Land Offices across the country, except in three hill districts.  “This has reduced time, cost, travel, suffering and harassment of the people,” according to the document.  Service Portal (land.gov.bd) or Call Center (16122) or Union Digital Center (UDC) has been launched. It is because of these interventions, landowners at any time from any part of the world can get QR code enriched receipts instantly for paying land development tax online.  It says that Bangladesh has recently been awarded prestigious “World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)” for successfully implementing the online Land Development Tax System.  Steps have been taken to deliver e-Record of Right (ROR) called Khatian to the citizens through the Bangladesh Postal Department.  Moreover, arrangements have been made to get printed Records of Rights immediately by setting up kiosks in various populated places.  A call center has been set up through which people can lodge any complaints and receive any services related to land. The document also said that steps have been taken to establish a link between e-registration and e-mutation system to simplify land service and improve its quality.  It says sub-registrars will be able to verify the land records from the Digital Record Room System online before land registration because of this. Read: ‘Hearing of e-mutations, miscellaneous cases to start soon through video conferences’ Similarly, the Assistant Commissioner (Land) will get the documents of registration and information of the land sold through the e-mutation system along with the registration, based on which the mutation process can be started automatically.  Once the e- mutation is connected with the e-registration across the country, the suffering of the people will be reduced and the relevant land records will be updated automatically. As a result, the chances of lawsuits and forgery will be reduced, it says. As part of digital land management, arrangements have been made to upload all information related to acquired land and Sairat Mahal.  There are initiatives to preserve all the information in Land Information Bank related to waterbody, balumahal, khas land, vested property, hat-bazar, tea garden, chingrimahal and all information related to the acquired land.  “As a result, it is possible to get all the information related to the leased and settled land, Sairat Mahal, the public landed property immediately,” the document says. “The Land Information Bank is also playing an important role in making decisions regarding land acquisition and land allotment,” it says.

Miscreants vandalised hindu idols and torched a temple in Phulbari upazila of Kurigram following a land dispute early Tuesday, said police. The crime took place around 1am in Nagdanga village of Naodanga union of the upazila in the temple adjacent to the house of local Ratikanto Roy, said Fazlur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Fulbari police station. As locals sensed their presence and informed Ratikanto, the miscreants fled the scene. About 40 percent of the temple structure was affected in the fire, Ratikanto said. According to the locals, the miscreants committed such a crime following a land dispute. Read:4 youths held for vandalising idol at Pirojpur temple Ratikanto Roy's grandfather Shirish Chandra Roy sold 60 decimal of land to Abdus Samad Ghatial of Lalmonirhat district about 35 years ago. There was also a temple on two decimal areas of the land and Samad's family had been living there for a long time. But Samad's two sons demanded two decimals of land somewhere else instead of that occupied by the temple. Finally on May 6, the Union Parishad chairman asked Samad's sons two leave two decimals of land for the temple and road. On Monday, Samad's elder son Shahidul had an altercation with Ratikanto's brother Shibcharan over cutting bamboo in the temple area, said Samad's another son Azimul. "Then the temple was torched at night. This is done to frame us," he added. Phulbari Naodanga Union Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad General Secretary Ratan Roy said miscreants may have committed this crime to create fear among Hindus. They also demanded immediate action. However, no case has been filed yet, said the OC. Superintendent of Kurigram Police Syeda Jannat Ara said legal steps will be taken soon after an investigation.

A man was killed and 15 others were injured in a clash between two groups over land dispute in Nasirnagar upazila of Brahmanbaria early Monday. The deceased was identified as Akter Mia, 40, son of late Khurshed Ali from Guniyauk village of the upazila. According to the deceased’s family, Akter and his cousin Dulal Mia were at loggerheads over a piece of land for a long time. Read: Man killed by wife in Brahmanbaria A clash broke out between the supporters of the two around 9:30pm on Sunday, which left 15 people injured including Akter and Dulal. Eleven of the injured were rushed to Brahmanbaria General Hospital where Akter succumbed to his injureis at about 1:00am. Officer-in-charge of Nasirnagar police station Habibullah Sarker said that the body of the deceased has been kept at the hospital’s morgue for autopsy. Police have been deployed in the area to avert further trouble, said the OC.