Three leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir, including Chouddagram upazila unit president of Shibir, were killed in separate incidents of ‘shootouts’ in Comilla, Rajshahi and Jessore on Friday, as the government has intensified its crackdown on anarchists. Shahbuddin Patwari,28, president of Shibir’s Chouddagram upazila unit and son of Joynal Abdin Patwari of Chouddagram municipality area, was found dead in Comilla town in the morning. He was a 4th year student of Sociology Department of Comilla Victoria College. Sources at Comilla Medical College Hospital said SI Ibrahim of Chouddagram Police Station brought the bullet-hit body of Shahbuddin to the hospital around 6:10 am. Police Super of the district Tutul Chakravarty said the Shibir leader was killed in a ‘gunfight’ with police. Shahbuddin’s family claimed that he was shot dead by police after he had been picked up by them on Thursday afternoon. Earlier on Tuesday, at least seven people were killed and 16 others injured as miscreants torched a bus hurling a petrol bomb at Jogmohanpur in the upazila on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway. Another arson victim died the following day at hospital. Meanwhile, Shahbuddin, information affairs secretary of Shibir, Rajshahi University unit, was killed and two other leaders sustained bullet wounds in a ‘shootout’ with police at Katakhali in Rajshahi city early today. The injured Shibir leaders were Mofizuddin, a 4th year student of Arabic Department and Habibur Rahman, Shibir president of Shaheed Habibur Rahman Hall unit. In-charge of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) SI Badiuzzaman said the three were admitted to the hospital with bullet injuries around 1:30 am. Later, doctors declared Shahbuddin dead and sent the body to the morgue. Besides, Shahidul Islam,35, an activist of Satkhira district Jamaat-e-Islami, was killed in a reported gunfight between his cohorts and police at Ramnagar Jessore Sadar upazila early Friday. – Dhaka, Feb 6 (UNB)
