Sirajganj drug war, 70 injured

At least 70 people have been injured in clashes between two cartels trying to control the local contraband drug trade in Sirajganj.

   

The clashes, police said, started on Monday evening and have spilled over into Tuesday.

They said two youth groups involved with the trading over contraband drugs like Yaba and phensydyl have attacked each other despite police intervention.

One group is from Mirpur, the other from Malsaparha.

Sirajganj Police Station OC Rafiqul Islam Khan told bdnews24.com on Tuesday they could not control the situation as the two groups were repeatedly getting involved in pitched battles.

The clashes first broke out around Monday evening and continued until around 11pm. Many households were ransacked and damaged.

OC Khan said at least 50 more households had been ransacked after the clashes erupted on Tuesday morning.

He said additional police and RAB personnel had been deployed in the area to quell violence.

Six men have been detained for involvement with the clashes on Monday.

Police said several groups of youths from Mirpur and Malsaparha are involved with trading of contraband drugs like popular party drug Yaba and the Indian cough syrup phensydyl.

Now a Mirpur-based group is involved in a turf war with one from Malsaparha for control of the illicit trade. An attack three days ago led to Monday’s clashes, police said.

Sirajganj’s Assistant Superintendent of Police Kazi Ehsanul Kabir, RAB-12 company commander and ASP Ashok Kumar Pal turned up to control the riotous mobs. The security personnel lobbed teargas canisters and fired rubber bullets to rein in the situation.