A landlord was beaten to death allegedly by local activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Narayanganj鈥檚 Araihazar upazila on Wednesday following a dispute over rent payment for a party office.
The victim was identified as Md Jahangir Hossain, 57, of Salmodi Nayapara village.
Confirming this, Khandaker Nasir Uddin, officer-in-charge of Araihazar Police Station, said the police have launched a drive to arrest those involved in the incident.
The family of the deceased is preparing to file a case, he added.
Witnesses said the incident occurred around 11:30am in the Salmodi Bazar area after Jahangir demanded rent from local BNP leaders who had set up a party office there.
The local BNP leaders had established a party office there a few months ago.
The dispute reportedly intensified when Jahangir demanded rent, leading to an altercation during which he was beaten inside the BNP office.
He was rushed to the Araihazar Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead.
The deceased鈥檚 son, Russell, said that after August 5, the former general secretary of Mahmudpur Union BNP, also a follower of BNP national executive committee member Mahmudur Rahman Sumon, rented three shops from his father at a rent of Tk 30,000 per year in Salmadi Bazar.
鈥楬e set up a BNP office in one of the shops. Although he paid the rent for the remaining two shops, he was not paying the rent for the shop where he set up the BNP office,鈥� he added.
Meanwhile, following the incident, the BNP suspended its five leaders and activities in connection with the murder.
The five are the former general secretary of BNP鈥檚 Mahmudpur union Tota Prodhan, Narayanganj district Chhatra Dal former assistant secretary general Khokon Prodhan, BNP activists Rasel Prodhan, Alam Miah and Saddam Hossain.
