Tragedy struck Tangail on Sunday afternoon when unknown assailants brutally hacked a former Union Parishad member to death in broad daylight. The victim, fifty-year-old Surman Reza, was attacked inside an abandoned petrol station in the Darun area of Gharinda Union, situated alongside the busy Dhaka–Tangail–Jamuna Bridge Highway.
Surman Reza was the son of Hanif Reza, hailing from Bhatchanda village within Gala Union. Alongside his commercial ventures as a local businessman, he had previously served the public as an elected ward member for Gala Union Parishad.
According to reports, the incident occurred around midday on 20 September. Attackers ambushed Reza while he was present at the derelict filling station premises. The assailants set upon him with sharp weapons, inflicting severe wounds before fleeing the scene. The sudden violence left him fatally injured, sparking immediate concern across the surrounding neighbourhood.
Upon receiving the news, a contingent from the local police force rushed to the location to secure the crime scene and collect forensic evidence. Officers recovered the victim’s body and subsequently arranged for its transfer to the Tangail General Hospital morgue for a mandatory post-mortem examination.
The victim’s brother, Halim Reza, expressed profound distress over the sudden killing, stating that the family remained completely bewildered by the event. He emphasised that his brother was an ordinary trader and former representative who had no known disputes of this magnitude. He urged the authorities to carry out an immediate, impartial inquiry to identify those responsible and ensure exemplary punishment.
The murder of a former public official inside a vacant structure along a major arterial highway has raised sharp questions regarding public safety in the area. HM Mahbub Rezwan Siddiqui, Additional Superintendent of Police (Tangail Sadar Circle), confirmed that the corpse had been sent for an autopsy. He noted that official findings from the post-mortem, combined with ongoing field investigations, would clarify the precise nature of the assault and shed light on the motives involved.
Police officials indicated that investigators are examining all potential angles, including personal, business, and local political connections. The victim’s body will be handed over to his relatives following the completion of legal formalities, whilst law enforcement agencies continue operations to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
