A young man named Nahid Islam (24) was allegedly stabbed while in prostration (Sujud) during Jummah prayers in Shantiganj, Sunamganj. His father, Saifur Rahman, was also injured when he stepped in to save his son.
The incident occurred on Friday (September 25) at the Birgaon Paschimpara Jame Mosque in Shantiganj Upazila. The injured Nahid Islam and his father Saifur Rahman are residents of Paschimpara in East Birgaon village. They were subsequently sent to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for treatment.
According to local sources, a long-standing feud existed between Nahid Islam and Jubayer Ahmed, the Member of Ward No. 7 under East Birgaon Union Parishad. A clash had broken out between the two factions a few months ago over the dispute. Locals stated that during that incident, individuals from Nahid’s side had stabbed several supporters of the UP member.
The victims of that earlier clash underwent prolonged medical treatment at a hospital. Subsequently, a case was filed against several individuals, including Nahid Islam, leading to his imprisonment. He was recently released on court bail.
Locals expressed that Friday’s attack on Nahid inside the mosque was a direct fallout of the prior dispute and legal conflict.
Birgaon residents Hossein Ahmad and Moinul Islam stated they heard the attack inside the mosque stemmed from the earlier dispute. They noted that the previous fight had led to ongoing court cases, and the attack on Nahid was carried out in retaliation. During the incident, his father Saifur Rahman was also injured while rushing to protect his son.
Hiru Miah, brother of the injured Nahid Islam, alleged that the attack on Nahid and Saifur Rahman took place while they were offering prayers inside the mosque. He claimed that local UP Member Jubayer Miah personally stood by and directed the attack. He further alleged that the UP member’s relatives—Rezaul, Afzal, Junel, Sebir, and Subad—along with 7 to 8 others were involved in the assault.
However, UP Member Jubayer Ahmed denied the allegations, stating he was not present at the scene during the incident. He claimed he was inspecting a bridge accompanied by an engineer at the time.
Jubayer Ahmed mentioned that Nahid had severely injured someone a while ago and was nevertheless moving around publicly. He added that based on information he received, the attack occurred out of anger regarding those past actions.
Rujel Ahmed, Acting Chairman of East Birgaon Union Parishad, confirmed the pre-existing dispute between Ward No. 7 UP Member Jubayer and Nahid. He noted that Nahid had served roughly one and a half to two months in prison in connection with the previous assault case before securing bail recently.
He stated that when Nahid went to perform Jummah prayers at Birgaon Paschimpara Jame Mosque, he was stabbed while in prostration. His father Saifur Rahman was also injured in the process. Both were later dispatched to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.
Shantiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Hillol Chakma said he was informed that the attack inside the mosque resulted from a prior dispute. The injured were sent to MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital. No formal complaint has been filed regarding the incident yet, though police rushed to the scene upon receiving information.
Officials noted that the exact motive and the identities of those involved in the attack will be confirmed following an investigation.
