NCP leader Motaleb Shikder was shot in the head by unidentified gunmen in Khulna on Monday.
The shooting comes days after the killing of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi in Dhaka.
Police have launched a manhunt as the motive remains unclear.
Unidentified gunmen shot senior National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Motaleb Shikder in the head in Bangladesh’s southwestern city of Khulna on Monday, in what police described as a targeted attack, according to PTI.
The shooting comes just days after the killing of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, raising concerns over a fresh spell of political violence in the country, PTI reported.
Confirming the incident, NCP joint principal coordinator Mahmuda Mitu said in a Facebook post: "The Khulna Division head of NCP (National Citizen Party) and central coordinator of the party’s workers front, Motaleb Shikder, was shot a few minutes ago." Mitu, who is a doctor, said Shikder was taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital in a critical condition.
Hospital sources quoted by the Bangla daily Kaler Kantha said Shikder had been shot on the left side of his head and was bleeding heavily when he arrived at the hospital, where doctors immediately began emergency treatment.
Police said the attack occurred in the Majid Sarani area of Khulna city. After the shooting, Khulna Medical College Hospital authorities shifted Shikder to the City Imaging Centre to assess the extent of his injuries, local police station chief Animesh Mondal told reporters.
The incident follows the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government. Hadi was shot in the head by masked gunmen on December 12 during an election campaign event in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area, PTI reported.
The 32-year-old Inqilab Mancha spokesperson later died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on Thursday. Hadi was contesting the general elections scheduled for February 12.
After his death, the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus announced nationwide mourning on Saturday and said it would leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators to justice. Violence subsequently erupted in Dhaka and other major cities following the attack and Hadi’s death.
In connection with Hadi’s killing, police arrested the parents and wife of Faisal Karim Masud, along with a female friend of the prime suspect. However, authorities said they were still unsure of Masud’s current whereabouts, PTI reported.
Police said investigations into both attacks were ongoing.
(With inputs from PTI)
