At least 10 people were injured while 20 houses were damaged and torched during a clash between locals and slum dwellers over possession of land at Islampur under Bayezid police station yesterday.

The clash occurred between Islampur Social Welfare and Law and Order Protection Committee and Chainnamul (landless) Cooperative Society.

Police detained Jotsna, 35, Firoza, 50, Sala Uddin, 18, Abul Kalam, 50, and Shahana Begum, 40, after the incident.

The arrestees, excluding Shahana, are undergoing treatments at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) under police custody as they were injured during the clashes. Identity of the rest injured could not be known.

After two phases of clashes on Monday night the feuding groups locked in a fresh clash at around 5.00am yesterday which continued till 11:00am, police said.

During the clashes both the groups vandalised 10 houses, set fire to 10 other houses and shops, and opened fire.

Later, police also opened blank fire to bring the situation under control, said Sub Inspector (SI) Mustafiz of Bayezid police station.

”We picked up five people from the spot and deployed police to avert further untoward incident," he said.

Local people had a longstanding dispute with the cooperative society led by muscleman Akhter over a piece of land, SI Mustafiz said.

In Rangpur, at least 15 people were injured yesterday in a clash between autorickshaw and motor bus workers at Sathmatha in the town.

Injured Ratan, Binoy, Swapan, Sohel, Nazim, Rani, Nannu and Reaz were admitted to Rangpur Sadar Hospital.

Auto-rickshaw workers alleged that a number of motor bus-workers attacked them at Sathmatha without any provocation while they were observing auto-rickshaw strike yesterday.

The auto-rickshaw workers enforced strike in Rangpur protesting beating of two of their collegues by motor bus men on Monday afternoon in Mahiganj area.

Police said the clash ensued at about 12:30pm when a number of auto-rickshaw workers allegedly damaged glasses of a bus by pelting brickbats at Sathmatha.