25 injured in ansar firing, clash on passenger launch

At least five people sustained bullet injuries when ansars opened fire during a clash between passengers and staff that left 20 others injured on a launch in Patuakhali early Saturday.

Victims, police and passengers said the double-dicker launch with some 1,500 passengers on board left Dhaka Sadarghat around 6:00pm on Friday for Patuakhali.

MV Shuvoraj-2, which was plying the route as special Eid service, ran aground on an alluviad land around 3:00am when it reached Karkhana area under Baufal upazila in Patuakhali.

In this situation, passengers demanded return of the fare that led to a clash with the launch staffers. At one stage, ansars (security men of the launch) opened fire that injured at least five passengers.

Two of the bullet injured, Sohel Khan, 30, and Monir Hossain, 40, both of Dumki, took treatment at Lutharan hospital in Dumki upazila town in the morning.

Panicked by firing, some of the passengers jumped into the river and locals rescued them later.

Julfikae Md Gazzali, officer-in-charge of Baufal Police Station, said they seized the launch and brought the staff to the police station to interrogate them, reports our Patuakhali correspondent.

Md Mostafizur Rahman, deputy director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), told he had already sent an inspector to the spot.