15 injured in attack on bridal party returning home in Mithamain; one detained

Police have detained a young man named Golap Mia, 35, over an attack on a party returning with a bride from a wedding house in Mithamain upazila of Kishoreganj. He was detained from Saheb Nagar in the Katakhal area of the upazila at around 12:45am on Saturday night.

Police said the detainee, Golap Mia, is the son of the late Kalachan of Char Katakhal in Katakhal union.

The attack took place earlier, at around 5:45pm on Saturday, in the Katakhal Gorur Hat area of the upazila. At least 15 people, including a police member, were injured. Alongside beating members and relatives of the bride's family, there are allegations that their money and gold ornaments were looted.

According to police and local sources, Swapan Mia of Raniganj in Kewarjor union of Mithamain upazila married Jonaki Akter of Maizchar village in Bairati union last Thursday. After lunch at the wedding house on Saturday, the bride's relatives were returning home with the newlywed couple.

When they reached the Katakhal Gorur Hat area, auto-rickshaw driver Dayal Mia of Char Katakhal allegedly pushed one of their relatives from behind. When they protested, Dayal Mia and several auto-rickshaw drivers with him attacked them, injuring 14 members of the bride's family.

On receiving the news, members of the Katakhal police outpost went to the spot and tried to bring the situation under control. The attackers then attacked the police as well, injuring a police member named Md Kausar Mia, who is posted at the Katakhal police outpost.

Bachchu Mia of Maizchar village in Bairati union alleged that auto-rickshaw driver Dayal Mia controls the auto-rickshaw stand in the Gorur Hat area and wields influence there for that reason. He alleged the attack on the bride's relatives was carried out under Dayal Mia's leadership and that their money and gold ornaments were looted at the time. The injured were taken to Mithamain Upazila Health Complex.

Dayal Mia's wife Rup Nahar, however, denied the allegations. She claimed her husband sounded the auto-rickshaw horn to ask for side while returning from the wedding house, and that the people of Maizchar, angered by this, attacked her husband. She said her husband was also being taken to hospital.

Abdul Gaffar, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Katakhal police outpost, said police went to the spot on hearing of a fight between the two sides. At one stage Dayal Mia and his men also attacked the police. Police began raids that night to bring those involved under the law, and Golap Mia was later detained from the Saheb Nagar area. Raids to detain the others are continuing, and preparations for filing a case over the incident are under way, he added.