A student political leader affiliated with the Bangladesh Chhatra League was critically injured in a brutal machete attack in Bangladesh’s southeastern Chattogram district, police and medical officials said.
The victim, Zakaria Hasan Jilhan, vice-president of Sitakunda Degree College Chhatra League, was attacked at around 8:15 p.m. on Saturday in the Barabkunda area of Sitakunda Upazila, according to local authorities.
Family members said Jilhan sustained multiple severe injuries after assailants attacked him with sharp weapons in a public area near an old union health center. He was initially taken to a local health complex before being transferred to Chattogram Medical College Hospital and later airlifted to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), widely known as Pangu Hospital, in Dhaka due to the severity of his condition.
Medical officials said the victim suffered extensive blood loss and multiple deep wounds.
“He was attacked in an extremely brutal manner,” Sitakunda Upazila Health Officer Dr. Altaf Hossain told local media. “There were more than nine or ten deep machete wounds on different parts of his body, including his hands, waist and legs.”
From his hospital bed, Jilhan alleged that the attack was carried out by Kazi Mohammad Saimon, whom he identified as a joint secretary of the Chattogram North District unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing associated with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
According to Jilhan, Saimon had called him earlier in the evening asking to meet. He claimed he was ambushed shortly after arriving at the meeting spot.
However, local JCD leaders denied political involvement in the incident. Sitakunda Upazila JCD President Kazi Selim Uddin said the accused was not involved in the organization’s political activities and described the incident as a non-political dispute.
Police said an investigation is underway.
“We have begun investigating the incident after receiving reports of the attack,” Sitakunda Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Mahinul Islam said. “Initial information suggests there may have been a prior dispute. Operations are ongoing to arrest the suspects.”
The attack has heightened tensions in the area, with local residents expressing concern over rising political violence. The victim’s family has called for the swift arrest and prosecution of those responsible.
