A case was filed against 36 people, including BNP-backed Fulgazi upazila chairman candidate Mahtabuddin Chowdhury Minar, in connection with the killing of the upazila’s chairman Ekramul Haque Ekram. The election was held in the upazila on March 23. The victim’s brother Rejaul Haque Jasim filed the case against one named, Mahtabuddin Chowdhury Minar, and 35 unidentified people with Feni Model Police Station on Tuesday midnight. Meanwhile, police in a drive arrested 18 people from different parts of the district town from Tuesday midnight to Wednesday morning for their suspicious involvement in the attack killing Ekram. Police also seized one private car and two motorcycles, which were likely to have been used during the attack. On the other hand, the first namaz-e-janaza of slain upazila chairman was held at Mishion Moydan in the town at about 9:00am. A large number of people, including Awami League leaders and activists and relatives of the deceased, took part in the janaza. The second namaz-e-janaza of Ekram will be held on the playground of Phulgazi Pilot High School in the upazila at about 10:40am. Ekram is supposed to be buried at the family graveyard at Hasanpur village in the same upazila after his third janaza here at about 11:30am. Phulgazi upazila chairman Ekramul Haque Ekram was shot and burnt to death by miscreants in Academy area of the district town on Tuesday. Police said Ekram, an Awami League-backed UZ chairman, came under attack by the miscreants, numbering 20-30, on his way to the upazila headquarters in his car from his Masterpara residence around 11:00am. – UNB
bdnews24.com adds: Police have detained 23 people in an overnight raid to find suspects involved with the killing of an Upazila chairman in Feni.
Feni Model Police Station OC Mahabub Morshed said that they have also recovered an abandoned car and a motorbike from the town’s Birinchi area.
Phulgazi Upazila chairman Ekramul Haque came under attack around 11am on Tuesday near the Bilasi Cinema Hall adjacent to Brinichi area of Feni.
The assailants blocked his car, exploded hand-made bombs and then opened fire on him before setting the car alight.
Haque, who was also the president of Awami League’s Phulgazi unit, died on the spot.
Meanwhile, the first funeral prayer for Haque was held around 9am Wednesday at the town’s Mizan Maydan ground.
Around a thousand people including local AL leaders, Feni-1 MP Shirin Akhter and Feni-2 MP Nizamuddin Hajari gathered to pay their respects.
He will be buried in his family graveyard in the afternoon after two more funeral prayers at Phulgazi town and his ancestral home at Bandhuya area, according to relatives.
Three people including a local journalist in the car were also injured in Tuesday’s attack. They were admitted to the Feni Sadar Hospital with stab wounds.
Two of the injured were later sent to the Chittagong Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) as their condition deteriorated.
Tension has been running high in the district town since the murder, which led authorities to deploy additional law enforcing personnel to tackle law and order situation.
The slain Upazila chairman’s brother, Rezaul Haque lodged a case with Feni Sadar Model Police Station over the murder on Tuesday night, accusing 30-35 people including local BNP leader Mahtab Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, who was defeated by Haque in the UZ polls a few months ago.
