UP Chairman Master Abdus Samad received a letter on February 5 mailed to him on January 28 by the Biplobi Communist Party (BCP) from Shajiarha Post Office of Dumuria upazila of Khulna district.

The BCP letter accused the UP chairman of helping the joint forces arrest most wanted BCP armed cadre Haider Shaikh in November last year.

"The BCP will execute your death warrant by February 28 without failure," the letter told the UP chairman. He filed a general diary with Keshabpur Police Station last Thursday seeking police protection.

Samad played the key role in identifying Haider, a notorious outlaw who is an accused in 17 murder cases. Angry mob gouged out his eyes when he was brought to Keshabpur Police Station after arrest by the joint forces last year.

Apart from murders, Haider was wanted in several criminal cases including rape. He is the second-in-command of the regional unit of outlawed BCP headed by Mrinal.

In another incident, unidentified miscreants believed to be operatives of an outlawed outfit killed an AL activist and rice trader Babul Howlader in a bomb attack at about 8:30pm on Friday at Tetultala under Gilatala union of Rampal upazila in Bagerhat.

Son Ashaque Ali Howlader, Babul was on the way to his house having closed his shop at Gilatala Bazar when the attack took place, sources said.

According to eyewitnesses, one of the three powerful bombs thrown by one of the three motorcycle riders smashed Babul's head. The killers fled away exploding two more bombs.

The incident has put a big question mark over the role of the members of joint forces who saw the incident a few yards from the place of occurrence but did nothing, according to the eyewitnesses.

The body of Babul was handed over to his family yesterday noon after autopsy at Bagerhat Sadar hospital morgue. No case was lodged until the filing of the report at 5:00pm yesterday.

Meanwhile, unidentified outlaws shot and wounded Hafiza Khatoon, 40, wife of vendor Abdul Jabbar of Faltila village under Fakirhat upazilla, at around 9:00pm at Battala on Friday. She was getting back home after closing the shop of her husband.

Eyewitnesses said two masked men shot Hafiza in the abdomen from a speeding motor cycle. She was operated upon at Khulna Medical College Hospital and. her condition is said to be critical.

Police said Hafiza is an informant of the joint forces and helped in the arrest of a number of outlaws.