Terrorist Sarwar Hossain, alias Babla, who was shot by Shibir cadres while participating in an election campaign with BNP candidate Ershad Ullah in Chittagong on Wednesday, has succumbed to injuries.
Ershad, Sarwar and three others were injured in the gun attack in Khandakerpara of Chalitali area of the city in the afternoon. Sarwar later died at a private hospital around 6:30pm. Ershad Ullah is now out of danger, doctors said.
Ershad Ullah was present during Sarwarโs wedding a month ago. Sarwar was seen attending various BNP rallies after being released on bail from prison in August last year.
Police said that Sarwar has 15 cases against him, including murder, extortion, and illegal arms. The attack was carried out by the goons of terrorist Sajjad Hossain, alias Chhoto Sajjad, a close aide of Islami Chhatra Shibir cadre Sajjad Ali, alias Boro Sajjad, now staying abroad.
M4 carbines looted from vault amid Dhaka airportโs cargo village fire
Mob violence is encouraged by terming it an expression of anger
Corruption: Why Khaledaโs family has proof, Sheikh Hasinaโs does not
On March 30, Sarwar survived a gun attack on his car in the Baklia Access Road area of โโthe city. At that time, two people in the car died on the spot. Later, the arrestees confessed that Chhoto Sajjad ordered them to kill Sarwar, who defected from the gang in 2015.
On July 12, 2000, eight people, including six Chhatra League activists, were killed in a terrorist attack in Bahaddarhat. Boro Sajjad was convicted in the case but was later acquitted by the High Court. Then he fled abroad and has since maintained extortion and other crimes in Bayezid, Panchlaish, Chandgaon and Hathazari areas through his gang through Chhoto Sajjad.
When asked, BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury told Prothom Alo that the party has nothing to do with this incident. Hundreds of people participated in the election campaign of the BNP candidate. When Sarwar participated there, he was shot due to a previous feud between the two terrorist groups.
A video of the shooting incident has gone viral on social media. In the video, Ershad Ullah is seen distributing pamphlets with leaders and activists. Sarwar Hossain was also with him. At that time, a young man suddenly entered the crowd of activists and shot Sarwar at close range with a pistol. Seven to eight shots were fired one after the other.
Eyewitnesses to the incident also said the same thing. Apart from Ershad Ullah, the other injured in the shooting incident are Irfanul Haque, alias Shanto, joint convener of the Panchlaish 3 Ward Volunteer Party, BNP activists Aminul Haque and Murtaza Haque. Doctors said that Irfanul’s condition is critical.
Abdur Rashid, the cousin of Irfanul Haque, who was injured in the shooting, was at the scene. He told Prothom Alo: “After Maghrib prayers, Ershad Ullah and I, the leaders and activists, went to a shop next to the mosque to conduct public relations. Suddenly, some masked youths came from behind and shot Sarwar in the neck. Hearing the gunshots, all the leaders and activists started running here and there. Later, I saw Sarwar lying on the ground. He was taken to the hospital in a dead state.”
Another witness to the incident, Aziz Hossain, the brother of the deceased Sarwar, told Prothom Alo: “For a long time, terrorist Chhota Sajjad’s people have been threatening to kill my brother. They would call every week and tell me to eat whatever food I wanted. That’s why we were a little cautious. But my brother and I participated in Ershad Ullah’s public relations, hoping that there would be security.”
Sarwar’s brother Aziz Hossain claimed that terrorist Chhota Sajjad’s associates, including Md. Raihan, directly participated in the murder.
Four eyewitnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the terrorists who took part in the murder mixed with BNP people who had come for public relations. They arrived in a microbus.
English