Teenager dies after ‘scissors attack’ over cooking dispute in Mohammadpur, one held

A 15-year-old boy has died after allegedly being stabbed in the neck with a pair of scissors during a dispute over cooking rice at a shared accommodation in the capital’s Mohammadpur area.

Nirab died at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) today (31 October), 12 days after the attack.

The incident took place around 9pm on 19 October at a tin-shed house in Grip gully in the Rayerbazar area.

Nirab’s elder brother, Pial Hasan, told The Business Standard at the hospital that their family hailed from Ramnagar village in Ramganj upazila of Lakshmipur. They were living in a shared accommodation in Rayerbazar.

Their father, Enayet Munshi, works as a painter, and Nirab was learning the trade from him.

Pial said the family occupied one room in the shared house, where he lived with Nirab and their father.

On the night of the incident, Nirab was cooking rice on a gas stove when a neighbour from another room, Alamgir, came to cook. Although the house had four burners, Alamgir asked Nirab to vacate the one he was using, triggering an argument.

At one point, Nirab verbally abused Alamgir, who allegedly became angry and assaulted him, Pial said.

“When I intervened, he assaulted me too. Then Alamgir’s brother Shimul and his two nephews, Nazim and Nadim, came out of their room and joined the beating. At one point, Shimul thrust a pair of scissors into Nirab’s neck,” he said.

Pial further alleged that their father was also assaulted when he returned home shortly afterwards.

Nirab was initially taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. As his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to the ICU of a hospital in Shyamoli. He was readmitted to the ICU at DMCH on 22 October, where he died on Saturday afternoon.

Sub-Inspector Zahidul Islam of Mohammadpur Police Station said the altercation over cooking rice took place on the night of 19 October, leaving Nirab injured with a scissors wound to his neck.

Following the incident, Nirab’s father filed an attempted murder case with the police station, naming four people as accused.

The case will now be converted into a murder case following Nirab’s death, the police officer said.

One accused, identified as Alamgir, has been arrested in connection with the incident, he added.