A fisherman was killed in an altercation with police men who were launching crackdown on illegal fishing in the Meghna River at Matlab North in Chandpur district early on Tuesday.
The deceased has been identified as Mohammad Masud, 22, who was 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 which 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 Shahjahan 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 boosting 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.