Kushtia:A fierce gun battle erupted between the rival 'Kakon' and 'Kalu' gangs over control of the Padma River waterways, causing widespread panic among fishermen and residents in Kushtia on Tuesday.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the violent exchange of gunfire began around 2pm near the confluence of the Padma and Garai rivers and Digri Char in Ishwardi, Pabna. The clashes persisted intermittently for several hours until evening, with locals reporting hearing more than 100 gunshots throughout the day.
Witnesses described how members of the Kakon gang took strategic positions with speedboats and boats at Digri Char, opposite the Mahanagar Tack area of Haripur in Kushtia Sadar upazila. Meanwhile, the Kalu gang members were stationed in the Kalabagan area of Digri Char, in Ishwardi of Pabna. Boatman Nayan reported seeing members of the Kakon gang arrive on a trawler and begin firing, with additional boats joining later in the afternoon, resulting in sporadic gunfire that lasted until evening.
Sub-Inspector Shafiuddin of the River Police indicated that an intelligence team was investigating the sequence of events to ascertain who initiated the gunfire. No information was available regarding any abductions, and no casualties were reported at the time of filing this report at 930pm.
Rajshahi River Police Superintendent Mohammad Billal Hossain confirmed that they had received reports about the gunfight and had deployed personnel to the area, along with a team from Ishwardi Police Station. The River Police and district police personnel took positions as far as Kalabagan during the exchange but did not hear any further gunshots. As night fell, the exact locations of the two gangs remained unclear.