Houses of two Satkhira BNP men torched

Angry villagers hurl stones and bricks at the house of a local BNP leader in Tala upazila of Satkhira yesterday. They set afire the houses of two leaders for their alleged involvement in a murder.Photo: STAR

An agitated mob set the houses of two local leaders of BNP and its front organisation to fire suspecting their involvement in the sensational Dhandia union Parishad (UP) chairman Arifuzzaman Chanchal murder yesterday morning.
Angry people also looted livestock and poultry birds. The incidents occurred at Senergati and Krishnanagar in Dhandia union Parishad (UP) under Tala upazila.
Over three thousand angry people set afire the houses of Dhandia UP member Abdul Malek Lalu of Senergati village and Ruhul Quddus of Krishnanagar under Tala upazila one after another.
The mob also burnt the houses of Zobeda Khatun to ashes who in her confessional statement before a magistrate on Thursday said they had killed the chairman Chanchal as per directive of Abdul Malek member and Ruhul Quddus.
BNP sources said Abdul Malek Lalu is the secretary of Dhandia Union BNP and Ruhul Quddus is the president of Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal of Dhandia Union.
Police rushed the spots but failed to control the situation and later riot police were called to bring the situation under control. The fire fighters from Satkhira rushed there and extinguished the fire.
The victim Arifuzzaman Chanchal, son of Asir Uddin of Sharsha under Tala upazila, and a member of district BNP convening committee was abducted by miscreants and later strangled to death on Wednesday morning.
Police sources said due to political rivalry, Abdul Malek Lalu and Ruhul Quddus hired the killers.
Soon after the murder police arrested Shawkat Ali, Humayun Kabir, Zobeda Khatun and Rabiul Islam and recovered four fire arms from their possessions.
Satkhira Police super (SP) Abu Sufiyan and other police officials visited the spot.
The police super said the situation is now under control and he asked the people to remain calm, as stern actions would be taken against the perpetrators.