DHAKA, Jan 8: Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) volunteer wing, Swechhasebak Dal leader Azizur Rahman Musabbir, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar area on Wednesday night, amid growing concerns over law and order ahead of country’s national election.
The deceased was identified as Azizur Rahman Musabbir, while the injured, Sufian Byapari Masud, is the general secretary of the Tejgaon Thana Van Workers’ Union.
Musabbir was rushed to BRB Hospital in Panthapath but was declared dead on arrival, Fazlul Karim, additional deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Tejgaon Zone), told The Daily Star.
Masud was later shifted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for treatment.
According to police and party sources, Musabbir had attended a programme with a group of people from Shariatpur at a hotel in the city in the evening. After the event, Musabbir and Masud were walking along a nearby lane when two men opened fire on them. The attackers fled the scene on foot.
Following the shooting, a group of people, including local BNP activists, staged protests near the Sonargaon intersection.
Family members and party activists said Musabbir had spent a significant period in jail during the Awami League regime and had been arrested multiple times in political cases.
A resident of Shariatpur, he lived with his family at Garden Road in West Karwan Bazar and was the eldest of three siblings. He had contested as a BNP-backed candidate for the councillor post in Ward-26 of Tejgaon during the 2020 city corporation elections.
Mohammad Javed, who was accompanying Masud, said both victims were initially taken to BRB Hospital before Masud was transferred to DMCH.
Masud sustained a gunshot wound to the left side of his abdomen and is currently receiving treatment in the emergency ward, said Inspector Md Faruq, in charge of the police camp at DMCH.
The incident comes amid a spate of targeted killings and firearm-related violence in crowded areas of Dhaka and other parts of the country, raising concerns over the law-and-order situation ahead of the national election scheduled for February 12.
The political violence has increased since the announcement of the election date, killing at least six people and injuring 250, according to the media reports.
Meanwhile, atrocities against minorities continue unabated in Bangladesh,the death toll of Hindus killed by extremist elements has risen to at least six over the past 18 days.
The rise of atrocities on Hindus has deteriorated relations between the two South Asian neighbors , pushing the already strained ties between Dhaka and Delhi into a deeper crisis.
Both the countries have suspended visa services in several cities, including Delhi.
The two countries have also summoned each other’s high commissioners to raise their security concerns. (UNI)
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