Nurul Islam

A Jamaat-e-Islami leader in Rajshahi and a suspected robber in Satkhira were gunned down in alleged shootouts with law enforcers yesterday.

With these, 10 people have been killed in so-called shootouts since January 12 amid additional security measures to check violence that has been plaguing the nation since January 5.

Police claimed Jamaat leader Nurul Islam, 45, used to lead an armed group of Islami Chhatra Shibir cadres and "robber" Rafiqul Islam, 38, was a member of an inter-district robbery gang.

Jamaat has called a 36-hour shutdown in Rajshahi division from 6:00am Saturday, to protest the "planned killing" of Nurul Islam, former secretary of the city's Ward-30 unit of the party.

The stories of their killings as narrated by police are just like any other "shootout" stories propagated by the law enforcement agencies.

SHOOTOUT IN RAJSHAHI

Detectives arrested Nurul Islam from a printing press, which he would run alongside teaching Islamic Studies at Islamia Degree College in Rajshahi, at Malopara at 9:00pm Tuesday.

Around 2:00am, a team of the Detective Branch (DB) of police took him to Nolkhola Ashrafer Mor to arrest his cohorts and recover firearms, said Muhammad Shamsuddin, commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, at a press briefing at the RMP headquarters.

Sensing police presence, his accomplices opened fire, hurled several crude bombs and tried to snatch Nurul away, prompting the DB men to open fire in retaliation. Nurul was hit by bullets while trying to escape and was declared dead at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital around 3:30am, said the RMP boss.

Two police constables were claimed to have received bullets during the "gunfight" and admitted to Rajshahi Police Lines Hospital.

A revolver, five bullets and 10 crude bombs were recovered from the scene, the RMP commissioner claimed.

Nurul was accused in over a dozen cases in Rajshahi, according to police.

The victim's family, however, thinks the entire story was cooked up.

"Police killed my brother in a planned way. They might have some past grudges as he was active in politics,” said Nurul's brother Fazlul Haque. "We will file a murder case against the police.”

SATKHIRA SHOOTOUT

Rafiqul Islam of Patkelghata was arrested on Wednesday afternoon in connection with a robbery at Kashemkhola village of Tala upazila, said Officer-in-Charge Tariqul Islam of Patkelghata Police Station.

To apprehend other members of Rafiqul's gang, police took him to Abhaytala around 3:30am when "his fellow robbers" opened fire on them, forcing the law enforcers to retaliate.

Caught in the line of fire, Rafiqul was bullet-hit and declared dead when taken to Satkhira Sadar Hospital, claimed the OC, adding a shutter gun, a machete and some bullet shells were recovered from the spot.

Rafiqul's widow said her husband returned home about one and a half years ago after serving five years in prison in a robbery case. And he had no case filed against him at the moment.