Three, including a regional leader of outlawed Janajuddho (a faction of outlawed Purbo Bangla Communist Party-PBCP), were shot dead in Shailkupa upazila of Jhenaidah district on Friday night.
The incident took place at around 8:30 pm at the Ramchandrapur cremation ground area of Tribeni Union.
Among the victims, two have been identified. They are Abu Hanif, alias Hanif Ali, 56 hailing from Ahadnagar village, and his brother-in-law Liton, 35 of Srirampur village in Harinakunda upazila of Jhenidah.
Hanif was a regional leader of the PBCP-Janajuddho and had previously been sentenced to death.
According to local residents, they heard three to four gunshots around 8:30 pm but were too afraid to leave their homes. Hours later, at around 11:30:pm, locals gathered at the scene and discovered three bodies along with two motorcycles. They immediately informed the police.
Sub-Inspector Motiar Rahman of Ramchandrapur Police Camp confirmed that all three victims were shot in the head at close range.
Unnamed local sources revealed that conflict between two extremist groups—the Purbo Bangla Communist Party (Janajuddho) and Jasad Gonobahin—active across Kushtia, Jhenaidah, and Chuadanga was on loggerheads over establishing supremacy at the area for long.
Witnesses told that the crime spot is usually isolated, but movement of known and unknown people is often seen. It is believed that the rival group received information about a secret meeting of Janajuddho at the spot and carried out the attack.
Police said a similar mass killing occurred at the same location on December 5, 2003, where five outlawed party leaders and cadres of outlawed Gonobahini were shot dead.
Hanif Had a Notorious Criminal Record
Janajuddho leader Hanif had at least 13 murder cases against him. He was sentenced to death in the Abdur Rahman murder case in Harinakunda’s Kulbaria village. Although the High Court upheld the verdict, he was later granted clemency during the previous Awami League government in 2017.
‘Gonobahini’ Claims Responsibility
Shortly after the killings, a person identifying as “Kalu” from Jasad Gonobahini sent a message to media personnel via WhatsApp, taking responsibility for the killing. The message stated:
"To the people of Jhenaidah, Chuadanga, Magura, Kushtia, Jashore, and Khulna: The notorious dacoit gang leader of the so-called Purbo Bangla Communist Party, Hanif, along with his two associates, has been executed by members of Jasad Gonobahini for their involvement in numerous murders, abductions, land grabbing, robberies, and assaults. Their bodies can be found near the Ramchandrapur and Piarpur canals."
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Shailkupa Police Station Masum Khan confirmed that the victims had a history of involvement in criminal activities. However, the exact motive behind the killings is still under investigation.
Regarding the claim by Jasad Gonobahini, OC Khan stated that police is looking into all aspects of the case.
When contacted, Superintendent of Police in Jhenidah Manjur Morashed told the Daily sun that the activities of outlawed parties are known to all at the region.
“It is after a long time when such a triple murder took place. However, police are strictly scrutinizing to unearth the actual clue behind the murder,” he said.