A long-running land dispute in Noakhali has reportedly escalated into a night-time attack on three brothers’ homes, with allegations of vandalism, assault and robbery. The incident took place at around 9 pm on Thursday, 8 October, at the Ismail Byapari residence in Purba Eojbalia village, under Eojbalia Union in Noakhali Sadar Upazila.
According to the alleged victims, the attack occurred several hours after a clash between two sides over the possession of a disputed plot of land. They claim that police visited the scene following the afternoon confrontation but that, after officers left, around 100 armed men arrived at their homes, assaulted family members and took away valuables. The allegations have not been independently verified.
Local residents said the dispute centres on 12 decimals of land purchased by Nurul Huda, son of the late Ismail, from Hasan, son of the late Shahidul Islam. Both men are from the same village. Since the purchase, Hasan’s brothers, Hossain and Jabed, have allegedly obstructed Nurul Huda’s attempts to take possession of the property.
Several efforts were reportedly made to settle the disagreement through village arbitration. However, according to local accounts, Hossain and Jabed declined to attend the proposed meetings, leaving the dispute unresolved.
Tensions rose again on Thursday afternoon when Hossain and Jabed allegedly attempted to build a house on the contested land. Nurul Huda and his brothers objected, triggering a physical confrontation between the two sides. At least seven people were injured in the clash, according to the report.
Police subsequently visited the area after receiving a call through Bangladesh’s national emergency service, 999. However, Nurul Huda alleged that the situation deteriorated after the officers departed.
He claimed that approximately 100 armed men arrived at the homes of the three brothers at around 9 pm. The attackers allegedly damaged their houses, assaulted residents and stole mobile phones, cash and gold jewellery. Nurul Huda further accused Hossain and Jabed of hiring the assailants to carry out the raid. Neither the alleged involvement of the two men nor the claim that they hired attackers has been independently established.
One of the alleged victims, Nurul Huda’s brother Maulana Nuruddin, described the ordeal inside his home. He said the attackers vandalised the property and dragged him outside, allegedly preparing to kill him.
According to Nuruddin, his wife intervened in a desperate attempt to save him. She reportedly held the attackers’ feet and pleaded with them to spare her husband. Nuruddin said he was eventually rescued during the confrontation.
He also alleged that the attackers took his newly purchased mobile phone, Tk 45,000 in cash and a pair of earrings. The total value of the property reportedly stolen from the three households remains unclear.
Eojbalia Union Panel Chairman Nurul Amin said local representatives had visited the area after the earlier clash and urged both sides to resolve their disagreement through arbitration. However, their efforts had failed to bring the parties together.
He said the two sides continued to engage in fighting and vandalism despite attempts to encourage a peaceful settlement. The unresolved dispute has therefore remained a source of tension in the locality.
Hossain, one of the men accused of involvement in the alleged attack, denied responsibility for the vandalism. He offered a different account of the afternoon confrontation, claiming that his side had attempted to construct a house on ancestral land when the opposing party attacked them, leaving them injured and requiring hospital treatment.
Hossain said he did not know who had damaged Nurul Huda’s family homes. He maintained that he and his associates were at the hospital at the time of the alleged night-time attack and denied any involvement in the incident.
Officer-in-Charge of Sudharam Model Police Station Nazrul Islam confirmed that a police team had visited the location after receiving an emergency call during the earlier clash. He said officers were making enquiries to establish who had carried out the alleged vandalism after the police team left the scene.
The investigation will be important in determining the circumstances surrounding the reported attack, identifying those responsible and establishing whether valuables were stolen as alleged. The conflicting accounts also leave the underlying dispute over ownership and possession of the land unresolved.
The incident highlights how prolonged land disputes can escalate into violence when local mediation fails to produce a settlement. Establishing the legal status of the disputed property, investigating the allegations impartially and preventing further confrontation will be essential to resolving the matter peacefully.
