Police arrested a local Krishak League leader from Chabbishnagar in Godagari upazila of Rajshahi district in connection with the death of two farmers who allegedly ended their lives for not getting irrigation water for their land.
The arrestee was Shakhawat Hossain, 30, president of no 5 ward unit Krishak League leader and deep tubewell operator of Barind Multipurpose Development Authorities (BMDA) .
Iftekhar Alam, Additional Superintendent of police, said a team of police led by officer-in-charge of Godagari Police Station Quamrul Islam conducted a drive in the area around 1 am and arrested him.
On March 24, Rabi Marandi, 32, a Santal community member of Nimghatu village in Godagari upazila, and his cousin Abhinath, 30, consumed poison in front of Shakhawat Hossain.
They took the decision out of anger "as Shakhawat was not giving them a serial number for a long time to get irrigation water supplied to their fields in Iswarpur", according to their family.
Abhinath died around 9pm after reaching home on March 24 while Rabi died two days later at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH).
Brigadier General Shamim Yazdani, director of RMCH, confirmed both the brothers died from consumption of poison.
The Agriculture Ministry has formed a four-member panel to probe the deaths of two farmers.
