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Published : 15 Dec 2025, 12:15 AM
Five weeks after being shot during an election canvassing drive, the attack on BNP-nominated Chattogram-8 candidate Ershad Ullah remains unresolved, with investigators yet to make any meaningful breakthrough.
In the same attack at Chalitatoli at Chattogram’s Bayezid Bostami, Sarwar Hossain Babla -- described by police as a “criminal” -- was also shot, later succumbing to his injuries.
A couple of days after the incident, Sarwar’s father Abdul Kader filed a murder case with Bayezid Bostami Police, naming seven suspects.
Although 39 days have passed since the filing of the case, police say there has been no significant progress beyond the arrest of 10 suspects.
Those believed by authorities to be directly involved in the attack remain at large, and the firearm used in the killing has yet to be recovered. Police say they are still trying to uncover the true motive behind the shooting.
The Chalitatoli incident marked the first time a BNP candidate was shot after the party announced more than 200 candidates nationwide. About a month later, on Friday, Dhaka-8’s prospective independent candidate Sharif Osman bin Hadi was also shot, bringing renewed attention to Ershad’s case.
Immediately after the attack, police said Ershad was not the intended target, claiming the assailants were aiming for Sarwar.
Asked about progress in the case, investigating officer Sub-Inspector Md Kawsar Hamid of Bayezid Bostami Police said the investigation was ongoing.
“So far, we have arrested 10 people, including two named in the case,” he said.
He told bdnews24.com that several of the arrested suspects had given confessional statements in court, and that raids were under way to arrest others implicated based on information obtained from those statements.
On the evening of Nov 5, Ershad -- also the convenor of Chattogram city BNP -- had begun election campaigning at Chalitatoli when gunfire erupted, leaving him and two others injured. Sarwar later died after being taken to hospital.
A senior Chattogram Metropolitan Police officer, who asked not to be named, said many names had surfaced during the investigation but the weapon used in the killing remained unrecovered. Statements given by arrested suspects were being verified, he added.
After initial treatment at a private hospital in Chattogram, Ershad was taken to Dhaka for advanced care. He has since returned to campaigning.
“The incident happened. It is the responsibility of law enforcement to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice,” Ershad told bdnews24.com, urging the arrest and punishment of those responsible.
The case filed by Kader names “Boro Sazzad”, Raihan, Iman, Barhan, Alauddin, Helal and Nizam -- identified by single names -- citing business rivalry and prior threats.
According to the case statement, Boro Sazzad had threatened Sarwar by phone from abroad a week before the incident. Attempts to reach Kader for comment were unsuccessful.
