Satkhira Forest Office Attacked Following Custodial Death; 373 Individuals Charged

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Authorities in Satkhira have initiated a criminal case against hundreds of individuals following a violent uprising that saw a forest office vandalized and staff members assaulted in the wake of a fisherman’s death. The case, filed ten days after the incident by Burigoalini Forest Station officer Fazlul Haque, names 23 individuals, including local union parishad member Manjur Hossain, alongside approximately 350 unidentified suspects.

The legal action stems from a fatal confrontation in the West Sundarbans sanctuary. According to the case details, the incident began in early May when members of the Khulna “SMART Team,” a forest patrol unit, engaged in a dispute with fishermen in the Patkosta Helabasi sanctuary area under the Nalian station. During the altercation, 45-year-old Aminur Rahman, a fisherman from Sora village in Shyamnagar, was struck by gunfire. He succumbed to excessive blood loss while his companions were attempting to transport him home.

Tensions escalated sharply when a crowd gathered outside the Burigoalini Forest Station later that afternoon, bearing the victim’s body. Investigators allege that the mob was incited through social media and local calls to arms to storm the government facility. By late afternoon, a group of approximately 350 people launched a coordinated attack on both the Satkhira Range office and the Burigoalini Forest Station.

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The assailants reportedly injured five forest department employees and caused extensive damage to the offices, with officials alleging that various pieces of equipment were looted during the chaos. Police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were eventually deployed to restore order, and the wounded were transported to a local hospital for treatment. Sub-inspector Aniruddha Roy of the Shyamnagar Police Station, who is leading the investigation, confirmed that authorities are actively working to locate and apprehend the suspects.