3 Jamaat-Shibir men killed in 'gunfight' with lawmen
A leader of Jamaat-e-Islami and two leaders of Islami-Chhatra Shibir, including an alleged suicide squad member, were killed and six police personnel injured in separate incidents of “gunfight” with members of joint forces in Jhenidah and Satkhira early today.
Enamul Haque, 50, the finance affairs secretary of Kotchandpur upazila Jamaat unit, was killed in Jhenidah while Shibir leaders—Abul Kalam, 22, and Maruf alias Choto, 23,— were killed in Satkhira.
Of them, Maruf was a member of suicide squad of the organisation, while Kalam was the secretary of Debhata upazila unit of Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, Tarok Biswas, officer-in-charge (OC) of Debhata Police Station, told The Daily Star.
Three sub-inspectors and three constables were sustained injuries during the incidents of “gunfights” in the districts.
Of them, three were identified as Mijanur Rahman and Moktar Hossain—two SIs and constable Joydev of Kotchandpur police.
The Jamaat leader was accused in a number of cases filed in connection with recent violence unleashed by the Jamaat-Shibir men in Kotchandpur upazila of the district, said Kotchandpur Police Station OC Shahjahan Khan.
He is one of the prime accused in the case filed for attacking police and snatching their arms that the Jamaat-Shibir men carried out in the upazila immediately after the International Crimes Tribunal had handed down capital punishment to Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee in the war crimes case on February last year.
The Jamaat leader was also accused in several cases filed for felling government trees illegally, blocking roads and torching voting centers on the eve of January 5 general election in the upazila, the OC added.
Meanwhile, Kalam, son of Akbar Ali, of Kulia village in Debhata upazila was accused in 10 cases including a murder case filed in connection with the violence spanning from pronouncement of verdict in war crimes cases to recently called hartal and blockades, OC Biswas said.
The Jamaat-Shibir men stabbed dead Abu Raihan, Debhata upazila Awami League organising secretary, on November 21 and Kalam was accused in the case.
On the other hand, Maruf, son of Ashraful Ali of the same village, was accused in nine violence cases including the murder case filed on same ground.
SATKHIRA
Police arrested Kalam and Maruf from their village around 9:00pm yesterday, reports our Satkhira correspondent quoting OC Biswas.
Acting on the information gleaned during preliminary investigation, the members of joint forces conducted raids at different points of Debhata upazila to recover arms and arrest other accused in the violence and murder cases.
When joint forces along with the accused reached near the house of Ziaur Rahman alias Zia, an Afghanistan war veteran, at Narkeli village around 5:30am today, the members of Jamaat-Shibir cordoned them, the OC said.
At one stage, the party men fired around 50 bullets and hurled 15 bombs on the law enforcers in a bid to snatch the arrestees, the OC said.
The members of joint forces, in self-defence, also retaliated with five bullets, leading to the 15-minute “gunfight”, the police official added.
Kalam and Maruf sustained bullet wounds when they tried to flee the clutches of law.
They were at first taken to Debhata Upazila Health Complex.
Later, they were shifted to Satkhira Sadar Hospital where duty doctors declared them dead around 6:45am, the OC added.
Two constables and one SI also sustained minor injuries during the “gunfight”.
JHENIDAH
The incident of “gunfight” took place on Nawdagram Secondary School ground in Kotchandpur upazila when the members of joint forces, acting on a tip-off that some criminals were holding a clandestine meeting conducted a raid there around 2:00am, said OC Shahjahan.
Sensing the presence of law enforcers, the Jamaat-Shibir men who were holding the meeting, sprayed 10 bullets and hurled three bombs on the joint forces, forcing the law enforcers to fire back.
During the 20-minute “gunfight”, Haque of Chandpara village in the upazila, also a teacher in Balarampur High School, came in line of fire and died on the spot, the OC said.
Law enforcers later recovered a shutter gun and two bombs from the spot.
Sub-inspectors—Mijanur Rahman, Moktar Hossain—and constable Joydev sustained injuries during the “gunfight”, he added.
Meanwhile, Tajul Islam, Kotchandpur upazila ameer of Jamaat, claimed that police arrested Haque while he along with the deceased was returning home after finishing some work at the upazila nirbahi office around 4:00pm yesterday.
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