Our Feni Correspondent :Fulgazi Upazila Parishad chairman Ekramul Haque Ekram was shot inside his car and burnt to death as miscreants torched his vehicle in front of Bilashi Cinema Hall in Feni Sadar at about 11:00am on Tuesday.Ekramul, who was also the president of Fulgazi Upazila unit of Awami League (AL), came under attack when he was heading towards his upazila office from his Masterpara residence in Feni district town. Unidentified armed miscreants, wearing musk, numbering 20-30 stopped his official car at GA Academy first. Later covering the car, they started spraying bullets, threw petrol bombs and torched the vehicle leaving Ekramul, 47, dead on the spot, witnesses said. Three others–Moin Uddin Shambhu, 60, former chairman of Fulgazi Sadar union parishad, Muhibullah Farhad, 32, executive editor of the daily ‘Feni Protidin’ owned by Ekram and Mohammad Abul Hossain, 45– and driver Abdullah Al Mamun, 30, were also injured seriously during the incident. But they managed to get down from the burning car.The injured were first sent to Feni Sadar Hospital and later Mamun and Abul Hossain were shifted to Dhaka for better treatment.Farhad, one of the three burnt victims, said they were going to Fulgazi from Feni Sadar when the armed miscreants coming on an easy bike intercepted the car. They later sprayed bullets and exploded petrol bombs targeting the vehicle. At one stage, they poured petrol and set fire the vehicles before the inmates in the vehicle could realize. Ekram sustained bullet injuries and failed to come out of the burning car unlike the three others, he said.When local people tried to douse the fire, the miscreants started hurling petrol bombs, opened fire to disperse the mob. By this time, the body of Ekramul charred, he said. On information, fire fighters went to the spot and brought the fire under control and recovered the Upazila chairman’s body from the burnt car. Later, the police sent the charred body to Feni Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.Confirming the death, Mahbub Morshed, Officer in charge (OC) of Feni Sadar Police station told The New Nation that unknown miscreants attacked the car of Ekram first and then they opened fire, threw petrol bombs and set ablaze the car.He said, on information a mobile team of Feni police rushed the spot but by this time the car was gutted leaving him dead. The law and order situation remained under control and police were trying to identify the criminals.”We have taken preventive measures and additional law enforcers were deployed in the city to avert further untoward situation,” he added. When asked, he said, we are aware about the ultimatum of the local AL and the local administration would make all out efforts to bring the culprits under the book, he added.Following the incident, locals including supporters of AL and its associate bodies put barricade on Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Mohipal in Sadar upazila protesting the killing. The vehicular movement on the highway remained suspended for several hours since 1:00 pm.The agitating supporters also torched the home of a local BNP leader. Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury Minar, convener of Feni district Tanti Dal, was a contestant in the last Upazila polls. Abdul Rahman, president of district AL, said rivalry over upazila election and personal enmity might be the reason behind the killing.The local AL also gave an ultimatum to nab the culprits within 24 hours. At least four platoons of BGB members were deployed in the area to bring the situation under control. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked the law enforcement agencies for immediate arrest of the culprits linked with the killing. In a statement, she said that anti-liberation elements and evil forces who want to destroy the organisational base of Awami League through killing and terrorism might have link with the brutal killing.The PM urged the people of Fulgazi and countrymen to raise their voice against such barbaric annihilation of a popular political leader and conspiracy. She prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul of Ekram and conveyed profound sympathy to the bereaved family members.The government would take all measures to give appropriate punishment to the killers, she assured.
