The vice-president of Tala upazila Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal in Satkhira district was killed and three policemen sustained injuries in a ‘gunfight’ with the joint forces yesterday.
The incident took place in Magura Khowaghat area of the upazila around 4am. Joint forces men have recovered one pipe gun, two rounds of bullets and five handmade bombs from the spot, police claimed.
The deceased was Azharul Islam, 28, son of late Shiraj Uddin Sarder of Ghona village. The injured police men were Sub-Inspector Shakhawat and constables Tajbur and Shahabuddin.
Officer-in-Charge of Tala police station Matiar Rahman said Azharul Islam was detained from a shrimp enclosure in Ghona village on Sunday morning.
Later, a joint forces team took him to Magura Khowaghat area to recover arms where a group of miscreants opened fire and hurled bombs on them to snatch him away.
The law enforcers opened fire to save their lives, police said.
OC Rahman said the gunfight continued for 20 minutes and at one stage three policemen and Azharul received bullet wounds. The injured were taken to Satkhira Sadar Hospital, while the duty doctors declared Azharul as dead.
Duty doctor of the hospital Porimal Biswas told the Dhaka Tribune that Azharul had been dead when he was brought there.
Assistant Police Superintendent Kazi Monirruzzaman said, “Azharul is accused in two cases under Tala police station including murder of Islamkati Union Parishad member Rouf. Seven cases were filed under Patkelghata police station.”
The upazila Chhatra Dal unit has called a dawn-to-dusk hartal today protesting the death.
Meanwhile, police in separate drives nabbed three Jamaat-Shibir men from Fatikchhari, Sitakunda and Lohagara upazilas in Chittagong early yesterday for their involvement with sabotage in the areas before, during and after the election.
Law enforcement seized a gun and four rounds of cartridges from a Shibir man, Saleh Jongi, 30, accused of four murder cases lodged with Fatikchhari police station, the station’s OC Shahjahan Bhuiyan said.
Police arrested eleven activists of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Sust) yesterday for their suspected involvement in unrest in the campus on Sunday.
Earlier two cases were filed in this connection. The university unit Shibir president and secretary are among the 300 accused.
In Bogra, the father of Shibir leader Abdullah Al-Baki of Bogra Azizul Haque College filed a case accusing 23 Chhatra League and Jubo League activists and leaders of murdering his son yesterday. Police is yet to arrest anyone six days into the incident.
