7 hurt in Shibir-cop gunfight in Ctg

Two activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir were hit by bullets and five policemen were injured during a gunfight in Chittagong city early Thursday.

Bullet-hit Shibir men -- Alauddin and Mohiuddin -- were admitted to Chittagong Medical College and Hospital, reports our Chittagong correspondent quoting Pradip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge of Panchlaish Police Station.

As per the statement of detained Shibir activist Abu Sayeed, police raided a house at Badurtola in Mohammadpur around 3:00am.

As soon as they entered the building, Shibir activists hurled three cocktails and fired 20 rounds of bullets, forcing the law enforcers to fire back that triggered a gunfight.

Alauddin and Mohiuddin were shot during the gunfight while five policemen of Panchlaish Police Station received cocktail splinters during the incident.

Sub-inspector Rajesh Barua, Constables Delwar Hossain, Md Muhit Abdur Rahim and Md Saiful Islam received treatment at local police lines hospital.

Police were compelled to fire 30 bullets to bring the situation under control, the OC said.

During the drive, they recovered two LGs, five rounds of bullets, four machetes, three cocktails and plenty of books on Jihad.

Shah Md Abdur Rauf, assistant commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (Panchlaish zone) said there might have more Shibir leaders and activists in the building, who successfully escaped during the gunfight.

Earlier, they also raided a five-storey building in the same area and nabbed six Shibir activists.

Abu Sayeed was arrested while hurling homemade bomb in the port city during the last day of 18-party-enforced hartal on Wednesday.