A union parishad chairman was shot dead in Doulatpur upazila of Kushtia on Monday.
The deceased, identified as Naeem Uddin Sentu, was the chairman of Philipnagor union parishad.
According to police and local sources, Naeem was working in the union parishad office, as he did every morning. At around 11:30 am, assailants fired several rounds at him through the window behind his chair. When locals rushed to the scene after hearing the gunshots, the attackers fired at them as well, causing widespread panic in the area.
Reza Ahmed Bacchu Molla, President of Doulatpur upazila unit of BNP and a former MP, said that Naeem was once the vice-president of the upazila BNP. For a long time, he had remained neutral and was no longer actively involved in politics.
Kushtia Additional Superintendent of Police Palash Kanti Nath confirmed that the chairman died on the spot. Both police and army personnel are working to bring the situation under control.