A candidate of the Secondary School Certificate exam has been shot dead during violent clashes between two rival groups of villagers in Gopalganj Sadar Upazila.
At least 10 others were injured in the hour-long skirmish which erupted in the Upazila's Bongram Purbopara around 9 am on Thursday, said Gopalganj Sadar Police OC Md Monirul Islam.
The dead student was identified as Rony Howladar, a student of the village's Azharia High School who was preparing to take the SSC exams this year.
The conflict stemmed from a long-standing feud between Azizur Sheikh, a former member of Karpara Union Parishad, and the family of Ulu Sikder, reports bdnews24.com.
It later boiled over into violence following a verbal spat between the two sides over seating at a shop in the village on Thursday morning.
"At one point, both sides began drawing weapons. They traded blows and hurled brickbats at each other for nearly an hour," said OC Monirul.
"But when Azizur's home came under attack, he began firing shots with his gun and one of them struck Rony, who died on the spot."
Tensions have been simmering in the village ever since but the police are in control of the situation, said the OC.
