Satkhira JCD leader killed in 'gunfight'
A leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, who was accused in a 2002 murder and recent violence cases, was killed in a “gunfight” with joint forces in Tala upazila of Satkhira early today, police said.
Three policemen also sustained minor injuries during the “gunfight”, Motiar Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Tala Police Station, told The Daily Star.
Deceased Azharul Islam, 27, was the vice-president of Tala upazila unit of JCD, the student wing of BNP, reports our Satkhira correspondent.
Islam, a resident of Ghona village, was accused in seven cases including a case for killing Abdur Rauf, a member of Islamkati Union Parishad, the OC said.
Unknown assailants killed Rauf, also an Awami League activist, in 2002.
Islam was involved in the recent violence that the 18-party opposition alliance unleashed during the recent months centering pronouncement of war crimes verdicts and demanding restoration of caretaker government system and cancellation of polls schedule for 10th parliamentary election that held on January 5, the OC added.
Meanwhile, Champa Khatun, widow of the JCD leader, said that police arrested her husband from their shrimp enclosure early Sunday.
Today she came to know that her husband's bullet-riddled body was kept at the mortuary of the Satkhira Sadar Hospital, Khatun said.
She also claimed that police did not even allow her to meet her husband when she went to Tala Police Station to pay a visit to him a couple of hours after his arrest.
On query, whether her husband was accused in seven cases including the murder charges, Khatun expressed her ignorance saying that a case which was filed against Islam for attacking police during recent violence was a false one.
The OC also said police arrested Islam at Chandpur of the upazila early yesterday in connection with the cases.
Acting on his information, the joint forces started raids at different areas of the upazila around 1:00am to recover arms and nab his three cohorts, police official Motiar Rahman said.
When the law enforcers arrived at Magura Kheyaghat around 5:00am, the associates of Islam fired 10 to 12 bullets and hurled several bombs on the joint forces personnel, forcing them to retaliate with bullets.
During the nearly 20-minute “gunfight”, police fired 15 bullets in self-defence and Islam injured critically, the OC added.
Islam was taken to Satkhira Sadar Hospital where he doctor on duty declared him dead around 6:00am.
Sub-inspector Shakhawat Hossain, constables—Tazimur Rahman and Mohammad Shahabuddin—of the police station sustained minor injuries as they also came in line of fire, the OC added.
After the “gunfight, the members of joint forces recovered a pine-gun, five bombs and two bullets from the spot.
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