At least one person was killed and 15 others injured in a violent gunfight between two rival factions of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) youth wing in Chittagong early Tuesday, police confirmed.

The deceased, identified as Md. Sajjad (22), was a member of the Chhatra Dal, the student wing of the BNP. According to Ikhtiyar Uddin, Officer-in-Charge of Baklia Police Station, the violence reportedly broke out following a dispute over the tearing of a political banner.

“One person was killed in the shooting, and several others were injured. A drive is underway to arrest those involved,” Uddin told reporters, as quoted by Prothom Alo.

Party sources said the gunfire erupted between followers of Emdadul Haque Badsha, former organising secretary of the now-defunct Nagar Jubo Dal committee, and supporters of Gazi Siraj Ullah, ex-president of the Nagar Chhatra Dal.

The conflict allegedly began after Siraj’s associates, Borhan Uddin and Nazrul Islam Sohel, abducted and assaulted Md. Jasim, a supporter of Emdadul. The abduction was reportedly linked to a directive by Chattogram City Mayor Shahadat Hossain, who had ordered the removal of banners featuring his and Siraj’s photos in several areas, including Bakalia.

“Borhan’s men hung banners showing Siraj and others. When Mayor Shahadat ordered those to be removed, Borhan’s men kidnapped Jasim. They opened fire when our people went to rescue him,” Emdadul told reporters.

The BNP has been grappling with increasing internal strife since emerging as the largest political force after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government. Factional tensions have frequently erupted into violent confrontations, leaving several members dead or injured in recent months.

Observers note that internal divisions have deepened within the party since its alignment with the interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, reflecting a power struggle among competing BNP factions.