UNB :
A fishermen was killed during a river police operation against illegal fishing in the Meghna River in Matlab North in Chandpur district early on Tuesday.
The deceased has been identified as Mohammad Masud, 22, a resident of Kalirchar in Munshiganj district.
Mohammad Quamruzzaman, superintendent of Chandpur Police, said a river police team led by inspector Aul Hossain was patrolling the Meghna River in Mohanpur.
The team spotted a group of fishermen on a boat. When the cops sought to inspect the boat they believed was illegally fishing, the fishermen hurled brick chips on the police and also attacked them with sticks.
In self-defence, the police team opened fire, leaving one fisherman injured.
Masud was taken to Matlab North Upazila Health Complex but had to be later shifted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries around 4 am.
Police also arrested two persons and seized 25 kgs of hilsa fish, the boat and a 2,000 metre net, said Shahajahan Kamal, officer-in-charge of Matlab North Police Station.
The government has imposed a two-month ban on catching, selling, hoarding and transporting hilsa from March 1, with a view to boost its production.
A 90-kilometre area stretching from Shatnal in Matlab North upazila to Char Bhairabi in Haimchar upazila in the Padma and the Meghna rivers has been turned into a sanctuary for hilsa.
