Days after the killing of Bangladesh’s student activist Sharif Osman Hadi, another NCP student leader has been shot at in Khulna city.
The Dhaka Tribune reports that National Citizen Party (NCP) Khulna division chief and central organiser of Shramik Shakti, Motaleb Sikder, was shot in public in the city’s Sonadanga area around 11:45 am on Monday. He was taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital in critical condition.
Sonadanga Model police station Officer-in-charge Animesh Mandal said Sikder was shot by miscreants and rescued by locals, who rushed him to the hospital, added the report. Police were later deployed to the scene.
Out Of Danger
The New Indian Express reports that his condition was initially described as critical, but medical assessments later indicated that the bullet grazed his skull, and he is now out of danger.
Sikder’s party, the National Citizen Party, was formed earlier this year. It emerged from the Students Against Discrimination movement and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, becoming Bangladesh’s first major student-led political party.
The police have told Prothom Alo that they are certain that the shooting occurred due to an internal dispute among those who were present at the crime scene.
Saif Newaz, organiser of the NCP Khulna city unit, told Prothom Alo that Sikder was recently involved in preparations for an upcoming divisional labour rally of the party.
Hadi’s Killing
Violent protests have taken place across Bangladesh last week after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a radical leader known for his anti-India sentiment. Hadi gained fame for his role during the 2024 student protests and uprising that led to the ouster of the then PM of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina.
Hadi was shot on December 12 by masked assailants, and his shooters remain to be found. After being treated in Dhaka, he was airlifted to a hospital in Singapore for treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries on December 18. The protests have also grown more targeted towards India following Hadi’s shooting.
