NCP labour wing leader shot in Khulna over ‘dispute in the house’: Police

Police suspect that the shooting of Md Motaleb Shikder, 42, a central leader of the labour wing of the National Citizen Party (NCP), in Khulna occurred due to an "internal dispute within the house.”

The incident took place in a rented residence in the Sonadanga area.

Motaleb Shikder was shot around 11:45am today, Monday, in the Sonadanga area. Initially, he told police that miscreants arrived on a motorcycle, shot him, and fled. However, police investigations later revealed that the incident did not occur on the street but inside the house.

Animesh Mondol, inspector (investigation) of Sonadanga police station, told Prothom Alo that the bullet grazed Motaleb Shikder’s scalp and exited. Although there was bleeding, he survived. He is currently undergoing treatment at Khulna Medical College Hospital and is out of danger.

The police official said, “At first, the victim informed us that he was shot by people who came on a motorcycle on the road. Later, we found that the incident took place inside the house. CCTV footage shows one or two people holding him and taking him to the hospital. We are also trying to determine who took him there.”

Khulna Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner (south) Mohammad Tajul Islam said police received information that an NCP member had been shot and was at Khulna Medical College Hospital. He said the victim was shot near Gazi Medical College, and a police team was sent to him. Video footage was recovered from a pharmacy near Gazi Medical College. The footage shows that on Sunday night, the victim and two other men arrived in a car. Around 12:30am, they got out and headed toward the Al-Aqsa Mosque behind Gazi Medical College. Based on this information, the crime scene was identified.

The police official added, “When we arrived at a house called Mukta House, we found that this was the scene of the incident. We found bloodstains at various places. After entering the room, we saw bottles of foreign liquor, equipment used for yaba, and an empty bullet casing. One thing we are certain about is that the shooting occurred due to an internal dispute among those who were present.”

Ashrafun Nahar, the owner of Mukta House, told Prothom Alo that a woman had rented the apartment, saying she would live there with her husband. However, other people frequently visited the flat, which is why she was served a notice to vacate. She had rented the apartment a month ago.

Saif Newaz, organiser of the NCP Khulna city unit, said that Motaleb Shikder is a central organiser of the NCP’s labour wing, Jatiya Sramik Shakti, and the divisional convener for Khulna. He was involved in preparations for an upcoming divisional labour rally of the party.

NCP Khulna organiser Hamim Ahmed Rahat said they had initially learned that the attack occurred when Motaleb Shikder went out for personal reasons. He expressed hope that law enforcement agencies would uncover the actual cause through investigation.

The injured Motaleb Shikder’s mother said her son had not previously been involved in politics and that his political career began with the NCP.