Sarbahara leader killed in ‘gunfight’

An alleged leader of outlawed Purba Banglar Sarbahara Party was killed in what police claimed was a gunfight between two groups of outlaws in Bogura’s Sherpur upazila on Wednesday.

The dead is Shafiur Rahman Jyoti, 65, of Pratapkhadulia village in Dhunat upazila.

He was a member of the banned outfit operating in Pabna, Natore and Sirajganj, said Humayun Kabir, officer-in-charge of Sherpur Police Station.

However, quoting locals, Shafiur’s wife Rawshan Ara, 60, told The Daily Star that some plainclothes men introduced themselves as police and picked up her husband from Koichar Beel area in Dhunat on Monday. 

OC Humayun Kabir and Dhunat Police Station OC Ismail Hossain refuted the allegation and said Shafiur was the north zone commander of Purba Banglar Sarbahara Party.

But locals said Shafiur was now leading a normal life after parting ways from the banned outfit.

Sonatan Chakraborty, additional superintendent of police (Bogura sadar circle), said they went to Goalkandi Bridge area in Sherpur around 1:30am on Wednesday, acting on information that two groups of outlaws were trading bullets there.

Sensing the law enforcers’ presence, the criminals fled leaving the bullet-hit body of Shafiur.

He was rushed to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead, the police official added.

Police claimed to have recovered a locally made gun, three bullets, a sharp weapon and a motorcycle from the spot.

Shafiur stood accused in 13 cases, including five for murder, filed with different police stations in Natore and Bogura, said OC Humayun, adding that he had been sentenced to 84 years in jail on charges of attacking and looting Natore’s Gurudashpur Police Station.

On Saturday, two alleged outlaw operatives were killed when two rival groups were exchanging bullets in Sherpur, said police.