At least seven people were killed and 40 others injured as the joint forces comprising police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) started their drive on Monday.
In Satkhira, five people were killed and several others hurt in clashes between Jamaat-Shibir activists and members of law enforcers during the drive in Debhata and Sadar upazila during the early hours. One of the deceased has been identified as Jamaat activist Jahangir Alam (30). The other four could not be identified. The police claimed that they were terrorists, but the local Jamaat unit said that they belonged to their outfit.
Of the five people four were killed while law enforcers fired at a group of Jamaat-Shibir activists at Shakhra and Sakhipur in Debhata upazila in the wee hours.
Manjurul Kabir, superintendent of police in Satkhira, said the combined forces had conducted an operation in the area around 5am to arrest those involved in felling trees to block roads during the recent anti-government protests.
The Jamaat-Shibir supporters, however, encircled the law enforcers and pelted them with stones and also shot at them. The law enforcers started firing in self-defence and four people were killed on the spot.
Commanding officer of BGB Battalion-38 Lt. Col. Imam Ahsan, who led the operation, said some bullet-hit people were seen lying on the ground after the clashes. He, however, could not confirm the number of those who were killed during the clash.
Shahi Babu (32), a Jamaat supporter, died of heart attack during the joint forces’ operation.
District BNP general secretary Abdul Alim said two BNP men—Abdur Rauf (50) and Manwar Hossain (35)—from Parulia village sustained bullet injuries during the clash at Sakhipur, while another party activist Aynul Haque suffered bullet wounds at Shakhira.
During the joint drive, the law enforcers arrested seven 18-Party Alliance activists from Debhata and Kalaroa upazilas.
In Laxmipur, two BNP men were killed in a gunfight with the RAB at Dighali area under Sadar upazila early on Monday. The deceased were identified as Md. Asaduzzman Babul (34) and Khorshed Alam Sumon (30).
Sources said that acting on a tip-off, a RAB team conducted a drive at Jamirtali village in Dighalia union to arrest Babul. When Babul saw the RAB team zeroing in on them, he and his associates opened fire, forcing the RAB to retaliate. Babul and Khorshd were killed in the gunfight that continued for an hour, the sources added.
Officer-in-charge of Laxmipur Sadar Police Station, Iqbal Mahmud, said the police recovered the body of Babul, a listed terrorist, and sent it to the Sadar Hospital for post-mortem. He added that Sumon, another activist, was also killed in the gunfight, but could not confirm it. Mohammad Abdul Aziz (50), an auto-rickshaw driver, who had suffered burn injuries during an arson attack on his vehicle in Hathazari upazila of Chittagong on December 1, succumbed to his injuries at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) early on Monday.
In the capital, the police detained 15 Jamaat-Shibir activists around 10 am in front of the Jaitya Press Club (JPC) on suspicion of carrying out subversive activities.
MA Jalil, inspector of Shahbagh Police Station, said, “The Jamaat-Shibir activists went to attend a programme at the JPC. But, instead of attending the programme, they tried to bring out a procession in front of the JPC.”
In Noakhali, unidentified miscreants torched furniture and valuable documents of Sirajpur Union Parishad in Companyganj upazila early on Monday.
Witnesses said a group of hooligans stormed into the union office around 1.15am and took away some furniture, two computers and some important documents.
UP chairman Mohammad Nurunnabi, also Companyganj upazila unit Awami League general secretary, blamed the Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir for the attack. He alleged that the attackers torched the portraits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. They also tried to set the union office on fire, but failed as local residents chased them away.
Unidentified miscreants hurled petrol bombs at the Sirajpur Union Parishad office under Companyganj upazila early on Monday. Fire service officials rushed to the spot and put out the fire. “Some unidentified miscreants hurled petrol bombs at the union parishad office around 2pm. Some important papers and documents were burnt,” said Nurnabi Chowdhury, chairman of Sirajpur Union Parishad.
-With The Independent input
