Three more people were killed in separate "shootouts" with law enforcers yesterday, taking the death toll in such incidents to 23 since the countrywide blockade started on January 6.

Ten of the total victims have been killed in the last five days only.

Jasim Uddin, 26, was killed in the capital; Kala Swapan, 27, in Comilla; and Raju Ahmed, 35, in Jessore.

Of the three killed yesterday, Swapan and Raju were accused in murder cases, said police.

In his response to a question about these killings, State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan yesterday said, "Police take action when they feel it necessary for checking terrorism. It is then gunfights take place."

Madrasa student Jasim Uddin, 26, was killed in a "shootout" with police in the capital's Taltola around 4:00am.

A statement, signed by Officer-in-Charge Ganesh Gopal Biswas of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, says police picked up six alleged Shibir men including Jasim on Saturday following an attack on traffic sergeant Golam Mawla at Shishu Mela crossing near Shyamoli.

After obtaining information from Jasim, a police team took him to Taltola to arrest Shibir leader Delwar and his ccomplices.

As the team reached the area around 3:45am, Delwar and his accomplices hurled crude bombs at and opened fire on police. At one point, they snatched Jasim away from police custody, the statement adds.

Police too opened fire on the criminals. Although the Shibir men managed to flee, Jasim's bullet-hit body was found later.

Police recovered two crude and four petrol bombs from the spot.   

However, the victim's brother Anisur Rahman claimed his brother was innocent and had been killed in a pre-planned way.

'Police picked him up from Agargaon on Saturday afternoon. He had been missing since then," said Anisur at Dhaka Medical College morgue, where the body was sent for an autopsy.

Jasim was badly wounded in the chest, said the brother.

Jasim was a student of Kazipara Siddiquia Senior Fajil Madrasa and had been living at a mess in the same area.

COMILLA

Kala Swapan, 27, an alleged top criminal, was killed in police custody during a "shootout" between police and "criminals" in Comilla's Bhatpara around 1:30am yesterday.

Prasanta Pal, officer-in-charge of Comilla Sadar (south) Police Station, said Kotwali police arrested him from the town's Nandanpur on Saturday afternoon.

A team of police then conducted a drive to recover illegal firearms from his village at Rampur under Sadar upazila, said the OC.

When law enforcers reached Bhatpara around 1:30am, Swapan's associates opened fire on them, compelling them to fire back.

Swapan, who was in police custody, received bullet injury, the OC claimed, adding that five policemen were hurt during the gunfight.

Swapan succumbed to his wounds at Comilla Medical College Hospital. He was an accused in six murder and dozens of other cases.

Police recovered a revolver, two rounds of bullet and a knife from him, claimed the OC.

JESSORE

Raju Ahmed, 35, an alleged top criminal in Jessore, was killed in a "shootout" with Rapid Action Battalion members in the town's Murali area early morning yesterday.

Maj Ashraf Uddin, commander of CPC-3 of Rab-6, said they arrested Raju from the town's Garikhana area around 10:00am Saturday.

After obtaining information from him, they launched a drive at Murali around 1:30am to arrest his accomplices.

Sensing Rab presence, about four to five men, who gathered there for carrying out subversive activities, opened fire on the Rab men.

"It prompted the Rab men to fire back in retaliation," Maj Ashraf claimed.

Raju, who was in Rab custody, was hit with bullets twice in his chest while his accomplices managed to flee, according to the Rab officer.

Later he was sent to Jessore Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Rab recovered two firearms and two sharp weapons from the spot, claimed Maj Ashraf.

Enamul Haque, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said Raju was wanted in several cases, including two murder cases.

Pirojpur victim's family denies political link

Meanwhile, Abdul Jabbar, father of Pirojpur “shootout” victim Shariful Islam Bachchu, alleged that police had wrongly implicated his son as a Shibir man.

Bachchu was a worker at Bhai Bhai Sawmill in Savar and had no connection with politics, said Abdul Jabbar, who hails from Pirojpur but was living with his son in Savar.

He was in Savar on Thursday afternoon but came to know about his son's killing in Pirojpur on Saturday morning, he said.

After reaching Pirojpur's Nesarabad Police Station that evening, Jabbar wanted to know why his son was killed.

"Instead of giving information, they told me to sign a paper and take my son's body. But I refused to do what they asked," he said.

"Later, around 10 policemen took his body to our village home and buried him there," said the father, adding that they did not allow anyone during the burial.

"I don't know why my son came to the village. Nor do I know why he was killed,” said the father.

[Reporters from Comilla, Benapole and Pirojpur contributed to this story]