Masked assailants stabbed to death an Awami League leader at his home in Naogaon's Patnitola upazila last night.

The victim -- Md Ishahaq Hossain, 72, was the president of Patnitola upazila unit AL and a former mayor of Nazipur municipality, Porimal Kumar Chakrobarty, officer-in-charge of Patnitola Police Station said.

He was declared dead at 10:30pm after being taken to the Patnitola Health Complex with at least four stab wounds on his chest, abdomen and back, the OC said.

“This is the first time in my life there has been such a gruesome murder in politics,” a local Chhatra League worker wrote on the social media site Facebook, adding, “I don't know who is trying to destroy the peace of the area.”

The masked attackers ambushed Hossain in the drawing room of his house in the municipality's Mahmudpur area. He used to live there alone as his wife lived in Rajshahi while his sons were settled in other places in Nazipur.

The assailants had broken into the house while Hossain was still out and kept his housekeeper tied and gagged in a different room.

Then they waited for Hossain in the drawing room.

Hossain had been out campaigning for AL candidate Shahiduzzaman Sarker at Naogaon-2 (Patnitola-Dhamuirhat) constituency.

He left the upazila AL office at around 9:00pm and returned home in his private microbus.

When he entered the drawing room, the attackers swooped on him.

The killers, equipped with Chinese axes and large knives, were wearing lungis and had their faces covered, police said quoting witnesses.

Hearing Hossain's cry for help, his driver went to save him and the attackers also stabbed him before escaping.

Later, locals rescued the driver -- Dulal Hossain, 35 -- who was admitted to hospital as he received a stab wound on his left shoulder in the attack.

The police are yet to identify the attackers.

Our Chapainawabganj correspondent contributed to this report.