Two men, including a leader of the banned Sramik League, were shot dead by unidentified assailants at Pushpapara cattle market in Pabna’s Ataikula upazila on Thursday evening.
The deceased were identified as Abdus Salam, 56, convener of the banned Pabna Sadar upazila unit of Sramik League and lessee of the cattle market, and his nephew Ripon Hossain, 35, president of the Ataikula union unit of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal.
The shooting took place at around 6:30pm while the two were inside their office at the market, according to eyewitnesses. A group of assailants arrived and opened fire indiscriminately at them.
Local residents rescued the two men and took them to Pabna General Hospital, where doctors declared them dead.
Ataikula police station Officer-in-Charge Pradip Kumar confirmed the incident. He said police had been sent to the scene and arrangements were being made for autopsies. Several police teams were investigating the killings, he added.
Pabna Superintendent of Police Abu Ashraf said investigators were examining two possible motives: a dispute over the cattle market lease and rivalry involving extremist groups.
Salam was a resident of Dharmagram village in Ataikula union. According to Pradip Kumar, general secretary of the banned Pabna district Sramik League, Salam had been the convener of the organization’s Sadar upazila unit. After the political changeover on August 5, 2024, he had posted photographs with leaders of other political parties on social media, Pradip said.
Abdul Gafur, president of the Pabna district unit of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, confirmed that Ripon was president of the organization’s Ataikula union unit.