OUR CORRESPONDENT, Moulvibazar

Two men were killed and at least 40 others injured on Monday after people of two villages in Habiganj’s Bahubal upazila clashed twice over a dispute regarding access to a road beside a graveyard.

The deceased were Selu Mia, 53, and Helal Mia, 37, of Adityapur village, said Saiful Islam, officer-in-charge of Bahubal Model Police Station.

Quoting locals, police said there had been a longstanding conflict between the villagers of Adityapur and Arichpur over the issue.

Before Monday’s incident, several clashes had taken places due to the rivalry in the past.

Around 12:30pm on Monday, the clash first broke out when 200 to 250 people from Adityapur and Arichpur villages attacked each other, equipped with locally made weapons, sticks, and bricks.

On information, police personnel went to the spot and brought the situation under control, said OC Saiful.

Later in the evening, representatives of both sides sat together at Dubai Bazar in an attempt to resolve the dispute, but violence broke out again before any settlement could be reached.

The clash left around 40 injured. Of them, Selu was declared dead after being taken to Bahubal Upazila Health Complex.

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