At least ten people were injured and vehicular movement on the vital Dhaka-Barishal highway was severely disrupted following a violent clash involving cocktail explosions and counter-chases over local bus ticket sales. The intense confrontation erupted on Friday (October 17) evening between residents residing in the border areas of Madaripur's Kalkini Upazila and Barishal's Gournadi Upazila.
30 PM on Friday, triggered widespread panic as participants hurled cocktails and engaged in running battles across the Bhurghata Bridge. Demonstrators also ignited tires directly on the asphalt, bringing traffic to a complete standstill for approximately an hour and creating extensive tailbacks on both flanks of the highway before law enforcement restored order around 9:00 PM.
According to police and local accounts, the underlying dispute traces back to Monday morning when Emarat Ghorami, a resident of Bongram area in Dasar Upazila's Gopalpur Union, attempted to purchase a bus ticket at a Bhurghata counter for a journey to Barishal. Due to his physical illness, Emarat requested a front-row seat, which the counter supervisor refused to allocate, precipitating a verbal altercation that quickly escalated.
The initial exchange intensified when counter employee Sobuj Fakir became involved, and Sobuj's cousin Akash Fakir reportedly arrived from an adjacent grocery store to physically assault Emarat. Although local intervention temporarily subdued the tension, the rift widened significantly on Thursday when Emarat returned to the counter accompanied by local residents, resulting in a renewed physical scuffle between the factions.
The cumulative hostility culminated on Friday evening when armed groups gathered near the Bhurghata Bridge area. Eyewitnesses reported that the arrival of individuals from Gournadi's Khanjapur area—identified as Firoz Kazi, Enamul Talukdar, Kamal Fakir, and Bablu Munshi—who allegedly attempted to abduct bamboo trader Habul Ghorami, further inflamed the situation, leading to the vandalism of roughly 10 shops in the vicinity.
Prompted by the emergency, police teams from both Kalkini and Gournadi police stations rushed to the scene and successfully brought the situation under control. Kalkini Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Jahirul Alam stated that authorities are currently investigating the identities of those involved in the violence, while additional police personnel have been deployed to the area to maintain public safety and ongoing discussions are underway with both sides to achieve an amicable resolution.
