The injured include five members of ansars and four labourers, all admitted to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.

According to the garden and police sources, two labourers were returning home after collecting firewood from the garden areas at about 6:00pm. The ansars caught the labourers, took away a dao from them and tried to take them to the garden manager.

The labourers, however, managed to get free, but the news reached the labour panchayet (leader). He along with about 40 others came to the ansars to know what had taken place.

Seeing the labourers, the ansars apprehended that something dangerous was brewing up and fired two blank shots. It angered the labourers and soon they swooped on the ansars with sticks, sharp weapons and bricks. The ansars then fired gunshots, injuring five labourers.

Of them, Minto, 40, succumbed to his injuries at MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital at about 10:00pm. Those admitted to the hospital are labourers Mona, 26, Antu, 30, Gahur Chan, 30, Kanai, 30, and ansars personnel Tajul Islam, Kamruddin, Abdus Salam, Abdul Qadir and Mohammad Ali.

Abdul Qadir, a member of ansars, now under treatment in the hospital, said the labourers snatched away six rifles from them during the clashes. Later, the firearms were found near the bungalow of the garden manager.

A leader of the labourers alleged that ansars often sold timber to the smugglers from the garden areas. "But whenever the labourers tried to collect firewood for their own use, the ansars swooped on them," he said.

On receiving the news, police teams from Jaintapur and the district headquarters reached the remote garden at about 9:00pm. A police contingent was posted in the garden following the clashes.

After autopsy in the hospital, the body was handed over to the family, police said.