In separate incidents of “gunfights” with the police, a college teacher in Rajshahi and an alleged robber in Satkhira were killed in the early hours of yesterday.
The deceased in Rajshahi – Nurul Islam Shahin, 45 – was a teacher of Rajshahi’s Islamia College and also the former president of Jamaat’s ward 30 unit, said Jamaat’s Rajshahi city unit Secretary Jahangir Alam.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Rajshahi district police headquarters, RMP Commissioner Muhammad Shamsudddin said Shahin was arrested on 9pm Tuesday from the city’s Malopara area. But when members of the Detective Branch later took Shahin with them on a drive around 2:15am, Shibir men attacked the law enforcers and snatched Shahin near the city’s Nalkhola area, claimed the RMP chief.
“Police fired around 20 bullets with rifles and shotguns to bring the situation under control, leaving Shahin bullet-hit,” Shamsuddin said, adding that Shahin succumbed to his injuries after being rushed to the DMCH.
He also claimed that the police recovered a revolver, 10 crude bombs, two pistol bullets and five shotgun bullets from the spot, our Rajshahi correspondent reports.
The Rajshahi Metropolitan Police chief said Shahin – who also owned a local offset printing press – was a patron to local Shibir cadres and was suspected of leading an attack in 2013 on the then Motihar police station OC Abdul Mazid.
Shahin was an accused in 13 cases filed with several police stations in the city and a wanted criminal in eight cases regarding acts of sabotage and attacks on law enforcers, Commissioner Shamsuddin added.
However, the family of the deceased claimed that there was foul play involved with the death of Shahin.
Fazlul Haque Tuhin, Shahin’s brother, said the Detective Branch of police had picked up his brother from his printing press on Tuesday night. When the family contacted the DB office after the arrest, they were told that Shahin would be released in the morning.
But the family later received a call from the RMCH in the morning, informing them that Nurul’s body was at the hospital. Following an autopsy, Shahin’s body was handed over to his family in the afternoon, confirmed the spokesman for the RMP, Assistant Commissioner Ifte Khayer Alam.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami Rajshahi city unit Ameer Abul Hashem claimed that Shahin’s death was a cold-blooded murder by the police, who killed the college teacher as he was a supporter of Jamaat.
Protesting the death, the Jamaat has called a 36-hour hartal from 6am Saturday in eight districts of Rajshahi division, he also confirmed.
Satkhira ‘gunfight’
In Satkhira, an alleged robber was killed in a “gunfight” with the police, which also left two law enforcers injured.
The “gunfight” took place near the Abhaytala Club in Tala upazila’s Patkelghata thana, while the police said they recovered a gun, two bullets and a machete from the scene.
The deceased was 38-year-old Rafiqul Islam, son of Tala upazila’s Noakati village resident Babur Ali Morol; the two injured police personnel are Constables Ajibor Rahman and Kabir Hossain.
The officer-in-charge of Patkelghata police station, Tarikul Islam, told journalists that Rafiqul was arrested from his house on suspicion of being involved with a recent robbery at Kumira’s Daatpur.
Following his detainment, Rafiqul confessed to being involved with at least 13 incidents of robbery in different areas in Jessore and Satkhira, claimed the OC, adding that Rafiqul also had several cases filed against him with different police stations.
Based on Rafiqul’s statement, the police took him on a weapons-recovery drive in the early hours of yesterday, Tarikul said, adding that Rafiqul’s cohorts started shooting at the police team when they reached the Abhaytala Club, ensuing a brief gunfight.
When the culprits retreated from the scene, it was found that Rafiqul had been hit; he was later declared dead by the Satkhira Sadar Hospital on-duty doctor Alamgir Kabir.
The doctor later told reporters that Rafiqul had several bullet wounds to his chest and right leg.
Two police personnel were also injured in the incident, said the OC, adding that a case would be filed in this regard.