Staff Correspondent

Assailants shot dead a ward-level leader of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party at Bhasantek in Dhaka on Tuesday.

The Ward 5 BNP unit president, Maulana Abdur Rakib, 38, was taken dead to Dhaka Medical College Hospital about 6:45pm, hospital officials said.

Rakib also was imam of a Bhasantek mosque, local people said.

A group of five shot at him near Bhasantek Balurmath about 5:00pm, said Kabir Hossain, who witnessed the incident.

He died when his party fellows were taking him to the hospital, said Abdul Jalil, the ward unit Juba Dal secretary.

Another resident of the area, Abdur Rashid, said that he had seen Rakib going along with two people to attend a prayer session in the area.

The Kafrul unit BNP convener, Ali Azghar Mattabar, told reporters at the DMCH that there was no infighting in the unit. ‘But he could be shot over previous enmity.’

Azghar, however, could

give details on any previous enmity.

BNP leaders and activities visited the hospital after he had died and demanded immediate arrest of the suspects.

Imtiaz Ahmed, deputy police commissioner of the Mirpur division police, told New Age that Rakib might have been killed by his rivals after a feud over supremacy in the area.

‘He was accused in several extortion cases and was arrested several times on different charges,’ he said, adding that they were trying to find out the motive of the murder and arrest the killers.

‘Although he was an imam, he used to maintain links with the under world,’ Imtiaz said.

Rakib, a man from Rupsha in Khulna, had lived in the area with his family for about 20 years.

The victim’s wife Reshma Begum at the hospital told New Age that she was not aware whether Rakib had enmity with anyone.