A college student has died after allegedly being beaten with sticks by rivals in a dispute over an access road in the Sabrang area of Teknaf, Cox's Bazar.
Teknaf Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Saiful Islam told Daily Waadaa that the body was recovered with the help of local residents and sent to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital for an autopsy.
The deceased was identified as Shafi Ullah, 22, son of Hafez Moktar Ahmad, a resident of Puratan Para in Sabrang Union, Teknaf. He was a student at Moin Uddin Memorial College in Hnila, Teknaf.
Shafi Ullah died on Sunday (July 5) while undergoing treatment at Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital.
The victim's elder brother, Siddiq Ahmad, alleged that local Ward BNP President Kamal Ahmad and his associates had blocked the family's access road to their home for the past eight years.
Although several attempts had been made locally to resolve the dispute, he claimed the opposing side refused to reach a settlement.
Siddiq further alleged that while he was working abroad, Kamal Ahmad demanded money in exchange for allowing the family access to the road. A lawsuit over the dispute is currently pending before a court.
According to the complaint, a team from Teknaf Police Station was scheduled to visit the site on Saturday (July 4) as part of the investigation into the case.
However, before police arrived, Kamal Ahmad and his associates, who had allegedly been lying in wait, attacked members of the family with locally made weapons.
The attack reportedly left four brothers—including Abu Bakkar, Habib Ullah and Shafi Ullah—and several others injured. Shafi Ullah suffered a severe head injury after being struck with a stick and collapsed.
After he began vomiting, he was taken to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex before being referred to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital as his condition deteriorated. He died there on Sunday morning.
OC Mohammad Saiful Islam confirmed the killing, saying the incident stemmed from a long-running dispute over land used as an access road.
"The clash occurred due to a conflict between the two sides over the access road," he told Waadaa.