2 Chhatra League activists killed

A Bangladesh Chhatra League leader was killed in a "gunfight" between his associates and Rab members in the capital's Hazaribagh area early yesterday, around 12 hours after he and his friends allegedly beat a teenage boy to death.

In Magura, former BCL leader Mehedi Hasan Ajibor, an accused in a case over the July 23 shooting that left a mother and the baby in her womb wounded, was killed in another "gun battle" between his accomplices and police around 1:00am, barely two hours before the Hazaribagh "gunfight".

Police and locals said Hazaribagh Thana BCL President Arzu Miah, 28, and a couple of his friends tortured a boy, Raja Miah, in Hazaribagh on Monday allegedly for stealing mobile phones and a laptop.

Several hours after Raja's death, Arzu was picked up by Rab-2 personnel from Hazaribagh Park area, his brother Masud Mia told journalists.

Ferdawsi Rahman, assistant director of Rab-2, said members of the elite force took Arzu, the main suspect in the Raja murder case, to Baroikhali area of Hazaribagh to arrest the others involved in the murder.

"His cohorts opened fire on the Rab members at 2:35am [yesterday]."

"Wounded, Arzu was found lying there after the gunfight. He was later taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital," said Ferdawsi.

Doctors at the hospital pronounced him dead around 5:30am.

Morgue sources said there were eight bullet wounds in his body.

Meanwhile, Hazaribagh Thana Awami League said BCL leader Arzu was "killed in a so-called gunfight on some trifling pretext."

In a press release, the unit leaders condemned the incident and demanded "a proper investigation into the extrajudicial killing."

The AL unit will hold a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity at 11:00am today "protesting the killing of Arzu by Rab".

Meanwhile, addressing an event in the capital, Health Minister Mohammed Nasim said Arzu was an "opportunist criminal" who joined the AL with a malicious intent.

"I feel frustrated when I see the likes of Arzu Miah in my party… Our aim now is to contain them," he said at the Directorate General of Health Services in the afternoon. 

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday afternoon, Arzu's elder sister Rehana Akhter said Hazaribagh police picked up her mother Joytoon Nesa and herself from their house around 1:00am.

"When we were taken to the police station, we saw Arzu's motorcycle on the premises. Police said they didn't know where he was.

"They kept us at the police station for several hours and then dropped us home at the break of day," Rehana said.

Around half an hour after they reached home, Rehana's brother-in-law Tara Mia received a phone call. The caller told him that Arzu might have been killed in a gunfight and asked him to go to the DMCH to identify the body, she said.

"I believe Arzu was killed over an intra-party feud. Raja's death was used as a pretext," added Rehana.

Arzu's brother Masud Mia said, "My brother might have tortured a boy who died, but he should have been tried in a court of law."

Police arrested three BCL activists -- Monir, 35, Sagor, 25, and Sujon, 28, -- in connection with Raja's murder. A Dhaka court yesterday placed Monir and Sujon on a three-day remand, while Sagor, who admitted to his role in torturing Raja, was sent to jail.

On Monday morning, Arzu picked up Raja from in front of his house, suspecting that the boy stole his mobile phones and a laptop.

Raja's aunt Ratna Begum claimed Arzu and his friends left an unconscious Raja in front of his house around 3:30pm on Monday. His family members took him to the DMCH where doctors declared him dead at 4:45pm.

MAGURA "GUNFIGHT"

Magura Superintendent of Police AKM Ehsan Ullah said a joint team of detectives and police conducted a raid in Doarpar orphanage area around 1:00am on information that a group of criminals had gathered there.

Sudarshan Kumar Roy, assistant superintendent of police, said, "Sensing the police presence, the criminals opened fire on the law enforcers triggering a gunfight."

The law enforcers later found Ajibor's body lying on the spot, he said.

Police said they recovered two firearms, two bullets and two bottles of phensedyl from the spot.

Ajibor, 34, the third accused in the case over shooting a man dead and injuring a pregnant woman in Magura, was a former executive member of Magura municipality BCL.

He went into hiding, as the incident caused public outrage.

Prior to yesterday's "gunfight", rumours ran high that police arrested Ajibor, son of Abdul Malek at Doharpar, from Simakhali Bazar in Magura on Monday evening.

Police, however, denied arresting him.

During a factional clash on July 23, bullets fired by ruling party men left Nazma Khatun and her baby in the womb wounded and her husband's uncle Momin Bhuiyan, 65, dead.  

Nazma was shot in the abdomen during the attack. Her unborn baby suffered injuries in the shoulder, neck, right hand and right eye.

Though they both survived after a two-hour surgery, doctors in Magura doubted whether the newborn would be able to cling to life.

The newborn was then brought to the DMCH where doctors saved her. They handed over the baby, whose condition is now stable, to her mother on Sunday.

A total of 16 people were accused in the case over the July 23 incident. Police have arrested nine people, including vice president of BCL Magura district unit Sen Suman.