Based on the condition that It won’t happen from next year; from August 18, the ‘boat ride’ will happen.

After a day of tension, a peaceful resolution has been reached over the dispute surrounding a boat race organised on the Sunai River in Lauta Union of Beanibazar upazila, Sylhet. However, as one of the key conditions of the agreement, it was decided that no boat race would be organised on the Sunai River from next year, said Lauta Union Parishad Chairman Delwar Hossain.

As a result, the boat race will go ahead as scheduled on August 28 on the Sunai River, organised by the Bahadurpur Gangpar Youth Society. The organisers have also confirmed that the competition will take place on time.

A meeting on the issue was held on Saturday after Isha prayers on the ground floor of Pubali Bank PLC at Barigram Bazar. Young people, elders, elected representatives and prominent individuals from different professions and villages of Lauta Union attended the meeting. During the lengthy discussion, participants discussed the situation surrounding the boat race, opinions of local residents and ways to prevent similar complications in the future.

The meeting was chaired by Lauta Union Parishad Chairman Delwar Hossain. Among those present were Mollapur Union Parishad Chairman M A Mannan, former Lauta Union Parishad chairman Gaus Uddin, UP member Abdul Latif, Beanibazar upazila BNP vice-president Ataur Rahman, Lauta Union BNP president Jalal Uddin, JASAS Beanibazar upazila convener Mujibur Rahman, social worker Abdul Wahab, Lauta Union Jamaat-e-Islami secretary Abdul Ahad, Beanibazar upazila Jubo Dal joint convener and Lauta Union Jubo Dal president Enam Uddin Dilal, Abdul Malik and Khaled Ahmed, along with other prominent local residents, youths and people from various professions.

Speakers at the meeting said boat races have long been a traditional event in the region. Everyone must play a responsible role to ensure that misunderstandings or differences over the event do not disrupt peace, harmony and goodwill in the community. They also said that local problems can be resolved peacefully through dialogue.

However, Maulana Nurur Rahman Masuk, Maulana Abdul Haque Qasemi, secretary of the Beanibazar upazila branch of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, and Hossain Ahmed, president of Jamaat-e-Islami’s Ward No. 3 unit, who were among those protesting against the boat race, were not present at the meeting.

Lauta Union Parishad Chairman Delwar Hossain said they had agreed to a peaceful resolution of the issue considering the local situation. He added that they also denied organising the protest under the banner of “Tawhidi Janata”.

Chairman Delwar Hossain said, “The organising group, Bahadur Gangpar Youth Society, requested permission to hold this year’s boat race as scheduled. However, they have agreed not to organise any more boat races on the Sunai River from next year. As both sides agreed to this decision, the issue has been resolved peacefully.”

He further said, “The meeting also focused on ensuring that no new dispute or tension arises over this year’s event. After lengthy discussions, the parties reached an agreement through mutual understanding, bringing relief to local residents.”

Meanwhile, Aminul Islam, general secretary of the boat race organising committee, said the competition would be held on August 28 as previously scheduled. “The boat race will take place on time. No one should be confused about this,” he said.

Aminul Islam added, “The complications surrounding the boat race have been resolved through cooperation from local residents and mutual discussions. Preparations are now underway to hold the competition according to the previously announced schedule.”

Attempts were made to contact Beanibazar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Umme Habiba Majumdar by phone for her comments, but she could not be reached.

Beanibazar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abu Zafar Mohammad Mahfuzul Karim said, “I have learned that the matter has been resolved peacefully. However, I am not aware of any agreement that the competition will be held on August 28 this year on the condition that no boat race will be organised from next year.”