A BNP leader was beaten to death in front of his wife by his rivals in Dhaka's Dhamrai upazila yesterday afternoon.

The deceased, Mohammad Babul Mia, was the former vice-president of BNP's Kulla union unit and a former member of ward 6 in the same union parishad.

The incident occurred around 1:30pm in the Boro Kushiara area of the upazila.

Speaking to this correspondent, Babul's wife, Yasmin Begum, said her husband was a three-time UP member of Kulla Union Parishad and had been involved in BNP politics. He had also been jailed multiple times in political cases.

Yasmin also said there had been a long-standing dispute among villagers over Akshirnagar Housing, a real estate business. "Although my husband was not involved in the matter, local criminals Afsar, Arshad, and Monir had been threatening both of us for days," she alleged.

She also said while she and her husband were harvesting mustard near Akshirnagar Housing this afternoon, Afsar, Arshad, Monir, and four to five others attacked Babul.

"They beat him with sticks and SS pipes, seriously injuring him. They even gouged out both his eyes. When I and some locals tried to intervene and take him to a hospital, they stopped us. Only after he became unconscious did they leave the place," she said.

Babul was later taken to Savar Enam Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Ejaz, a doctor at the hospital's emergency department, told The Daily Star that Babul was brought in around 3:30pm in an unconscious state with severe injuries to his head, eyes, face, and legs. After examination, he was declared dead.

Locals claimed that Babul had an ongoing dispute with Afsar, Arshad, and Monir over the ownership of a pond, which might have led to his killing.

When contacted, Monirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Dhamrai Police Station, said primary investigations suggest that Babul was killed over a previous dispute. "Preparations are underway to recover the body from the hospital and send it to the morgue."

Efforts are ongoing to arrest those responsible for the murder, he added.

The victim's wife Yasmin said she would file a case over the incident as soon as she is able.

Meanwhile, this correspondent visited the homes of those she alleged were involved but did not find them there, and their family members were unwilling to provide their contact numbers or make any comments on their behalf.