Three persons were killed and at least 30 others injured this afternoon in a clash between police and locals in Kalihati upazila of Tangail.

Six of the injured were hit by bullets.

Three policemen were among the injured. Five persons were held by police from the spot.

The deceased are identified as Faruk, 22, a resident of the upazila, Kabir, 19, of Ghatail upazila and Shyamol Chandra Paul, 38, of Ghatail upazila, our Tangail correspondent reports.

Medical sources said the first two victims died from bullet injuries.  

Faruk died at the Kalihati Upazila Health Complex, Kabir died on way to Tangail Medical College Hospital and Paul succumbed to his bullet wounds on way to Dhaka, locals and medical sources.

The injured are now undergoing treatment at different clinics and hospitals including Kalihati Upazila Health Complex and Tangail Medical College Hospital.    

The clash erupted at around 4:30pm when locals blocked the Tangail-Mymensingh highway near Kalihati bus stand protesting the torture of a local woman and her son after a reconciliation meeting turned ugly.

Around 3,000 people from several villages in the upazila equipped with sharp weapons marched towards the police station, Shahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kalihati Police Station said.

As police stopped them, the demonstrators attacked the police injuring a sub-inspector and two constables, the OC added.

The protesters threw bricks at the law enforcers, injuring the three. They then tried to snatch their weapons, eyewitnesses say.

The police then fired several shots to control the situation, the officer said claiming that nobody was killed by police firing.

The law enforcers fired around 50 shots, claimed eyewitnesses.

Police said the deaths were caused by fighting between two groups of the agitators.

BACKGROUND

The incident started after Alamin of Atharodana village of Ghatail upazila and his mother went to the home of Rafiqul Islam Roma for a reconciliation meeting following an affair between Alamin and the wife of Roma of Satutia village in Kalihati upazila.

Alamin and his mother were invited to be there on September 15 with the promise to resolve the issue through discussions.

At the meeting, Roma and his relatives allegedly abused Alamin and his mother physically and verbally. Police later rescued them.

Following the incident Alamin's mother took poison and is undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

 A case has been filed in this connection.