Sramik Dal leader shot dead in Chattogram's Rangunia; police investigate motive

A local leader of the Jatiotabadi Sramik Dal, the labour affiliate of BNP, was shot dead late last night (13 November) in the Sarafbhata area of Rangunia upazila, Chattogram.

The deceased was identified by police as Abdul Mannan, 40. He was the senior vice president of the Sarafbhata Union unit of Sramik Dal.

The fatal attack took place around 10pm on a quiet stretch of road near Bulinnya Baper Bari in ward 6 of the union.

South Rangunia Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sabbir Mohammad Selim confirmed the details, "Upon receiving information, a police team reached the scene around 11pm and found Mannan's body on the road. While his motorcycle was lying beside the body, his mobile phone was missing.

"He had four bullet wounds — one near his left eye, one in the left arm, and two on the right side of his abdomen," he told The Business Standard.

The identity of the assailants and the motive behind the shooting remain unknown.

Police recovered the body and sent it to Chattogram Medical College Hospital for an autopsy. The OC added that legal action is underway as police are actively trying to determine the motive and identify those responsible for the murder.

Locals expressed serious concern over the security situation, noting that Mannan's killing follows the murder of a man named Rahmatullah in Shikdar Para of the same union on 21 September over a trivial dispute, signalling a disturbing trend of back-to-back violence in the area.

Mannan, originally from Ward 2 of Sarafbhata, had been living in a rented house in Chandraghona with his wife and two daughters. Neighbours reported that he had recently returned from abroad following last year's political transition and had engaged in several small businesses.