Relatives mourning Nuruzzaman Jonny, killed in an alleged gunfight with police in the capital's Khilgaon, at Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday. Photo: Collected

A leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal was killed in a so-called shootout with detectives in the capital early yesterday, a day after his arrest in an arson case.

It is second such death in the city in two days in a row.

Yesterday's victim, Nuruzzaman Jonny, was general secretary of Khilgaon Thana unit JCD, a pro-BNP student body. Dhaka Medical College morgue sources said he was shot ten times in the chest and abdomen.

Though the detectives claimed he was hit during a gunfight between law enforcers and his associates, the victim's family alleged police killed him because of his political link.

“Police cooked up the shootout story to cover up the murder,” his father Yakub Ali told The Daily Star. 

Earlier on Monday, a ward-level Jamaat leader from Narail was killed in a “gunfight” with detectives at Motijheel in the capital. Family of the victim, Imrul Qayes, claimed detectives had picked him up on Saturday.

Yakub said he spoke with his son for the last time 1:15pm on Monday, after he had gone to the jail gate to visit his younger brother Moniruzzaman Hira.

Police allegedly picked Hira up on Friday, not finding Jonny.

Jonny's wife, Munia Parveen Monisha, found all his four cell phones off about an hour after the conversation, Yakub said, adding that they looked for him at every possible place.

He then contacted the Khilgaon police and the Detective Branch of Police, but they denied arresting him.

"The detectives who denied arresting my son on Monday night killed him just hours later," he said, and alleged that along with Jonny detectives arrested another JCD activist named Moin.

Jonny's wife is seven-month pregnant.

In a statement, the BNP said the “repressive and cruel” government started killing opposition leaders as part of its blueprint for silencing the opposition's voice.

Party Standing Committee Member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman visited Jonny's house in the afternoon.

POLICE VERSION

Detectives said they picked up Jonny from Nazim Uddin Road area on Monday, and during primary interrogation he confessed to his involvement in the arson attack on a police van near Matsya Bhaban on Saturday.

On information gleaned from him, they launched a drive at Jorpukur playground at Khilgaon around 3:00am yesterday to recover petrol bombs, crude bombs and other arms and ammunition. 

Sensing police presence, his associates opened fire on police, prompting them to fire back. Jonny was bullet-hit as he came in the line of fire, said a detective official, preferring anonymity.

He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead, said Alauddin, sub-inspector of Khilgaon police.