Jamaat leader killed in 'shootout'

A Jamaat leader was killed in a “shootout” with police in Kaliganj upazila of Satkhira early yesterday.
Ashraful Islam, 38, was the ameer of Kushlia union unit of Jamaat-e-Islami and also the superintendent of Sadpur Dakhil Madrasa.
Golam Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kaliganj Police Station, claimed that a police team raided Bhadrakhali Government Primary School around 1:00am, acting on a tip that a "gang of criminals" was holding a meeting on the school playground to plan criminal activities.
The “gang”, sensing the presence of the law enforcers, opened fire and hurled several homemade bombs at the police. The law enforcers returned fire, triggering a “gunfight” between police and the “gang”, the police official claimed.
Ashraful received bullets during the “gunfight”. The others managed to flee.
He was taken to Kaliganj Upazila Health Complex where on-duty doctors pronounced him dead.
However, Moslem Uddin, ameer of the upazila unit Jamaat, and the wife of the deceased alleged that police had picked up Ashraful at his house in Thekra village around 12:30am.  
Later, the law enforcers shot him dead, taking him to the playground, they claimed.
Five policemen were slightly hurt in the “shootout”, the OC said.
The OC said Ashraful was an accused in two criminal cases.
Police have filed a case against 15 Jamaat activists, including Ashraful, and 30-40 unnamed people in connection with “the attack on police”.