A thirty-seven-year-old political activist affiliated with the Jubo Dal, the youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has been brutally hacked to death by an armed gang in Ujirpur upazila, Barishal district. The attack occurred late on Friday night in the boundary region between Barishal and Gopalganj districts, leaving local communities gripped by tension.
The victim, identified as Kawsar Howlader, was a resident of Alamdi village in the Satla union of Ujirpur. He earned his living primarily as a commercial motorcycle rider while remaining active in local grassroots politics.
According to law enforcement authorities and local eye-witnesses, the incident unfolded around 9:30 pm on Friday, 23 October. Kawsar was standing on a bridge in the West Satla region—a border zone linking Ujirpur with Gopalganj’s Kotalipara—conversing with fellow Jubo Dal worker Rashed Amin and several other acquaintances. Without warning, a microbus carrying a group of heavily armed assailants pulled up near the bridge. The gang launched an immediate and aggressive assault on the gathered group.
Fearing for their lives, Kawsar and Rashed leapt off the bridge into the water below and fled towards a nearby homestead owned by one Habib Howlader. Seeking shelter inside the residence, the two men attempted to barricade themselves. However, the attackers pursued them relentlessly, forced open the door, and entered the house. Inside, the assailants struck Kawsar repeatedly with sharp weapons before fleeing the scene.
Local residents rushed to the cottage shortly after the attackers departed and rescued both victims. Kawsar, suffering from extensive cut wounds and critical blood loss, was transported to the nearby Kotalipara Upazila Health Complex. Upon arrival, the attending physician declared him dead. His companion, Rashed Amin, sustained severe injuries during the violent encounter and remains under medical care.
Preliminary police investigations suggest that the murder was a targeted hit stemming from long-standing personal and local rivalries. The tactical nature of the ambush—utilising a vehicle for a rapid approach and strike in a remote border location—indicates prior planning by the perpetrators.
Confirming the fatality, Officer-in-Charge of Ujirpur Model Police Station, Rokibul Islam, stated that the deceased’s body has been sent to the hospital morgue for an autopsy to determine the precise extent of injuries. Police officers have initiated the legal procedure to file a formal murder case on behalf of the victim’s family. Multiple investigative units have been deployed across the surrounding sub-districts to identify the assailants, trace the microbus used in the getaway, and bring those involved into custody.
