Six Awami League men beaten to death after they open fire 

At least six leaders and activists of ruling Awami League were beaten to death Sunday, after they had opened fire at the demonstrators at Madhabdi upazila in Narsingdi. 

The incident took place at the ablution room of a mosque near the Madhabdi municipality building around 1:30 pm. 

Three of the deceased are –   Delwar Hossain, chairman of Chardighaldi union parishad; Delwar Hossain, president of Matsyajibi League's Madhabdi town unit; and Moniruzzaman Bhuiyan, former president of Swechasebak League’s Narsingdi district unit. 

According to witnesses and locals, as several thousand demonstrators blocked the Dhaka-Sylhet highway around 12:00 pm, more than a hundred leaders and activists of the Awami League, led by Sadar upazila chairman Anwar Hossain, went to the spot.   

The ruling party men asked the demonstrators to leave the place, but received denial from the latters. At one stage, they opened fire at the demonstrators, injuring at least four of them. 

It made the demonstrators aggrieved and prompted them to chase down the Awami League men. When they took shelter at the ablution room of the mosque, the demonstrators beat at least 10 of them mercilessly. 

Six, including the identified three, died on the spot. Until the filing of this report around 6:00 pm, the bodies were lying unattended there. Even the policemen refrained from approaching the spot. 

Jakariya Hossain, younger brother of the upazila chairman, said they were staying there peacefully, but the demonstrators, including local BNP leaders and activists, chased them away. When they took refuge at the mosque, the attackers lynched them there to death. Four others sustained injuries in their attacks and are now receiving treatment at hospital. 

Mohammad Kamruzzaman, officer-in-charge of the Madhabdi police station, said some six people, who are leaders and activists of Awami League, have been beaten to death at the ablution room. 

The BNP men along with the demonstrators carried out the killings, he said, adding they are trying to identify victims.