Witnesses said the clash ensued when some people of the former committee of Bangabazar Hawkers' Samity Market (BHSM) Owners' Association swooped on the members of the new committee during a meeting at around 11:30am.

The new committee arranged the meeting on the rooftop of the newly constructed Dhaka Trade Centre, which was built demolishing shops of earstwhile Bangabazar Hawkers' Samity Market to allocate 637 shops housed in the four-storey trade centre.

Bullet-hit Ruhul Amin, Azam Hossain, Ratan Chandra Shil and Aslam Hossain were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

Both sides used firearms, rods and sticks during the clash that lasted for 30 minutes.

Sekander Bepari, joint secretary of the committee, said the leaders and members of the former committee carried out the attack because the shop owners forced them to dissolve the committee in August last year on charge of corruption.

He alleged that the former committee members embezzled Tk 3 crore and indulged in massive irregularities in allocating shops to the traders.

Both the groups filed separate cases with Paltan Police Station.