Sramik Dal leader hacked, shot dead in Khulna

Police arrest one with a foreign pistol after broad daylight killing at a busy shopping hub

A local leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s labour wing, Sramik Dal, has been hacked and shot dead in broad daylight in Khulna city.

Police have detained one person with a foreign pistol in connection with the murder.

The incident occurred around 9pm on Wednesday outside the Bata showroom at the city’s busy Dakbangla Intersection, according to Khulna Sadar Police chief Md Kabir Hossain.

The victim, 45-year-old Masum Billah, was the convenor of the Rupsha Upazila Sramik Dal and a former president of the Rupsha Motor Sramik Union.

He was the brother of Mustafa Kamal, a former chairman of Noihati Union Parishad.

Witnesses and police said Masum was out shopping for Eid-ul-Fitr with his family when six to seven assailants surrounded him.

They first hacked him with sharp weapons before shooting him to ensure his death, sparking panic in the area.

As the attackers fled, locals and on-duty traffic police managed to intercept and detain one suspect, identified as Ashok Ghosh.

Masum was rushed to Khulna Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

“This was a premeditated murder,” said Mohammad Tajul Islam, deputy commissioner (south) of Khulna Metropolitan Police.

According to preliminary findings, a criminal gang allegedly hired six to seven individuals to kill Masum Billah. One member of the “Grenade Babu” group has been detained with a pistol, while efforts are under way to identify and arrest the others.

Police said five people have been killed in militant-style attacks in Khulna over the past week.