Free Fire Feud Fuels Fight in Lalbagh

A clash erupted between two groups in the Amligola area of Lalbagh, Dhaka, reportedly over a mobile game of ‘Free Fire’. Shahid (40), a vegetable vendor, was seriously injured in the incident. He lives with his family in Yusuf Ali’s house at Kolar Ghat, Amligola, Lalbagh. His father’s name is Md. Abdur Rashid.

The altercation took place late on Friday night (October 4) in the Amligola Bazar area. Following the clash, Shahid was taken to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 1:30 a.m. by his son, Mamun, who is a PUBG player.

Confirming the incident, Inspector Md. Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH Police Outpost, said, “An injured man named Shahid has been brought to the hospital. The matter has been reported to the concerned police station.”

According to Shahid’s son Mamun, he and Mahmudullah’s son (name not known) were playing the mobile game Free Fire. At one point, an argument broke out between them. The disagreement soon escalated into a quarrel between their families, eventually leading to a physical altercation in which his father Shahid was severely injured.

It may be noted that, in response to several unpleasant incidents linked to online games such as Free Fire and PUBG, the High Court of Bangladesh in 2020 imposed a three-month ban on all violent online games. The court stated that these games were “training young people in violence and pushing society toward moral decay.” On April 20, 2022, the High Court reaffirmed the ban. However, in December 2023, another tragic incident reignited public concern when the body of 13-year-old Abdullah was found stuffed in a sack in Chattogram’s EPZ area after he was allegedly killed by a 15-year-old companion during a dispute over a Free Fire game.