A leader of Jamaat-e-Islami and two leaders of Islami-Chhatra Shibir, including an alleged suicide squad member, were killed and six police personnel injured in separate incidents of “gunfight” with members of joint forces in Jhenaidah and Satkhira early Sunday.
Enamul Haque, 50, the finance affairs secretary of Kotchandpur upazila Jamaat unit, was killed in Jhenaidah while Shibir leaders-Abul Kalam, 22, and Maruf alias Choto, 23 were killed in Satkhira. Of them, Maruf was a member of suicide squad of the organisation Tarok Biswas, officer-in-charge (OC) of Debhata Police Station, told The New Nation.
Meanwhile, Kalam, son of Akbar Ali, of Kulia village in Debhata upazila was accused in 10 cases including a murder case in connection with the violence spanning from pronouncement of verdict in war crimes cases to recently called hartal and blockades, OC Biswas said.
The Jamaat-Shibirmen stabbed dead Abu Raihan, Debhata upazila Awami League organising secretary, on November 21 and Kalam was accused in the case. On the other hand, Maruf, son of Ashraful Ali of the same village, was accused in nine violence cases including the murder case filed on the same ground.
In Satkhira, Police arrested Kalam and Maruf from their village around 9:00pm on Saturday, OC Biswas said.
Acting on the information gleaned during preliminary investigation, the members of joint forces conducted raids at different points of Debhata upazila to recover arms and arrest other accused in connection with violence and murder cases.
When joint forces along with the accused reached near the house of Ziaur Rahman alias Zia, an Afghanistan war veteran, at Narkeli village around 5:30am on Sunday, the members of Jamaat-Shibir cordoned them, the OC said.
At one stage, the party men fired around 50 bullets and hurled 15 bombs on the law enforcers in a bid to snatch the arrestees, the OC said. The members of joint forces, in self-defence, also retaliated with five bullets, leading to the 15-minute “gunfight”, he added.
Kalam and Maruf sustained bullet wounds when they tried to escape. They were at first taken to Debhata Upazila Health Complex. Later, they were shifted to Satkhira Sadar Hospital, where duty doctor declared them dead around 6:45am, the OC added.
Two constables and one SI were injured during the “gunfight”. In Jhenaidah, the incident of “gunfight” took place on Nawdagram Secondary School ground in Kotchandpur upazila when the members of joint forces, acting on a tip-off that some criminals were holding a clandestine meeting conducted a raid there around 2:00am, said OC Shahjahan.
Sensing the presence of law enforcers, the Jamaat-Shibirmen who were holding the meeting, sprayed 10 bullets and hurled three bombs on the joint forces, forcing the law enforcers to fire back.
During the 20-minute “gunfight”, Haque of Chandpara village in the upazila, also a teacher in Balarampur High School, came in line of fire and died on the spot, the OC said. Law enforcers later recovered a shutter gun and two bombs from the spot.
Sub-inspectors Mijanur Rahman, Moktar Hossain and constable Joydev were injured during the “gunfight”, he added.
Meanwhile, Tajul Islam, Kotchandpur upazila ameer of Jamaat, claimed that police arrested Haque while he along with the deceased were returning home after finishing some work at the Upazila Nirbahi Office around 4:00pm on Saturday.
