An Awami League leader was shot to death in Pabna Sadar upazila on Friday, in a broad daylight killing that police suspect was due to previous enmity.
The deceased is Saidar Rahman Malitha, 50, a member of the Pabna municipal unit of the Awami League. He was a businessman by profession.
Quoting locals, Pabna Additional Superintendent of Police Masud Alam said Saidar Rahman was outside a local mosque shortly before Jummah prayers when an individual or a group shot at him and fled the area, leaving him dead on the spot.
Saddam Molla, the grandson of the victim, said that he was informed of the murder on his way home after Jummah prayers.
Dilruba Jahan, the wife of the deceased, said that Saidar had a land dispute with Alauddin, former chairman of Hemayetpur UP.
“Alauddin was threatening to kill Saidar for several days now and today (Friday) he killed Saidar publicly. What will I do with my three minor children? I want those who killed my husband to be punished," she cried.
Hemayetpur UP Chairman Jahangir Alam said that the dispute between Alauddin and Saidar Rahman's clans over Sharikana land has been going on for a long time. They even fought over it.
However, there was also a dispute between them regarding the purchase of land for a solar plant by a private company in that area, he added.
SI Masud said the process of recovering the body from the spot has started and the case is being investigated.
Pabna Additional Superintendent of Police Akbar Ali Munshi visited the spot. Police have started arresting the killers by collecting CCTV footage.