Upazila chairman shot and burnt dead in Feni

An Upazila chairman in Feni has been killed with attackers shooting him and setting his car on fire.

Phulgazi Upazlia Chairman Ekramul Haque came under the attack around 11am on Tuesday near the Bilasi Cinema Hall in Feni town, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shamsul Alam Sarkar told bdnews24.com.

Haque was also the president of the ruling Awami League’s (AL) Phulgazi Upazila unit.

The miscreants exploded hand-made bombs, and then opened fire on him before setting the car alight. Haque died on the spot, the ASP said.

Three people including a local journalist in the car were also injured in the attack. They were admitted to the Feni Sadar Hospital with stab wounds.

Two of the injured were later sent to the Chittagong Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) as their condition deteriorated.

Tension has been runninh high in the district town since the murder. All vehicular movements were suspended.

The Awami League’s district unit took out a protest march in the town.

Haque’s supporters also damaged several vehicles on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, besides blocking roads in Phulgazi.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned the killing and ordered immediate arrest of the killers.

Local AL leaders said Haque was on his way to Phulgazi from his Masterparha house in the town.

He was accompanied by former Phulgazi Union Parishad chairman Shambu Chairman and executive editor of local daily ‘Feni Protidin’ Muhib Ullah Farhad.

The miscreants suddenly blocked Haque's car with a van in front of the cinema, witnesses said.

They exploded several handmade bombs to create panic before opening fire on Haque.

The miscreants dragged Shambu, Farhad and the driver from the car and stabbed them.

Then they set fire to the car and fled the scene.

Ekramul Haque

Police and fire-fighters recovered the Upazila chairman's body, which was charred beyond recognition, from the burnt car, ASP Shamsul Alam Sarkar said.

It was sent to the Feni Sadar Hospital mortuary. But later the remains were sent to CMCH where the autopsy took place.

Haque’s supporters ransacked shops in the area following the incident and forced them to shut down in Feni municipality area.

Additional policemen, RAB and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were deployed in the town to keep the situation under control.

Feni Sadar Model Police Station OC Mahbub Morshed told bdnews24.com Ekramul Haque’s elder brother Rezaul Haque filed a murder case around 11:30pm Tuesday.

“Around 35 people including Haque’s Upazila election rival BNP leader Mahtab Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury were named as accused in the case,” he said.