Two people were shot at close range in separate attacks in public places in Khulna on Saturday, one in the morning and another in the evening, during a visit by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ali Hossain Fakir.
The victims were Ramim Biswas, president of Ward 3 Jubo Dal in Madhupur Union, and grocery shopkeeper Akash Kundu. In both incidents, the gunmen arrived on motorcycles, fired at close range and escaped unhindered.
Ramim was shot on Saturday morning in Parhaji village of Madhupur Union in Terokhada upazila while travelling from home to Kolabazar. A motorcycle-borne gunman opened fire near Ainal Mollah’s house on the main road, hitting him on the right side of his back. He was admitted to the surgery ward of Khulna Medical College Hospital.
Terokhada Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ahmed Ali Biswas said, “Police are looking into the matter.”
Around 7pm, Akash Kundu was sitting in his grocery shop in the Dakshin Tutpara Gachtala area when he suddenly cried out that he had been shot in the lower abdomen. Local residents took him to Khulna Medical College Hospital. Police recovered a bullet casing from the scene.
The IGP arrived in Khulna in the morning, met law enforcement officials and addressed a gathering of well-wishers at Khulna Police Lines at noon before returning to Dhaka in the evening.
Referring to the Awami League’s 17 years in power, he said police activities during that period had created a distance between the force and the public. He said his visit was intended to restore public trust and help establish peace.
He acknowledged that police morale had suffered after 5 August 2024 but said efforts were under way to restore it.
Commenting on Khulna’s law and order situation, he said, “Some criminals are being killed, and some criminals are killing. Panic has been created among the people. In many cases it is seen that, when it comes to enforcing the law, someone says use force. When force is used, it is said police are fascist. When force is not used, it is said police are weak. So we do not want to see these things.”
He said a policy was being drawn up to maintain zero tolerance towards drugs, teenage gangs and extortion, strengthen oversight of community policing and prevent criminals from securing bail and returning to crime.
Khulna’s deteriorating law and order situation has raised concerns for more than two years, with insecurity in the south-western divisional city repeatedly making national headlines. Multiple killings have occurred on the same day on several occasions.
On 22 October, a man named Tawhidul Islam Tushar was shot dead by rivals in East Baniakhamar in the morning. That evening, housewife Khushi Begum was shot and hacked to death in front of her mother in Jinnapara Boubazar under Labanchara Police Station.
On 4 October, a leader of the Purba Banglar Communist Party was killed in Rupsha, while another man was hacked and injured by a criminal in Labanchara.
In another incident, a father was killed within two months of his son’s murder. On 15 August, Joy Dhali was hacked and had his throat slit in Shaheeder Mor, Rupsha. Fifty-one days later, on 5 October, his father, Akter Dhali, was killed near his village home in Durgani Mahal village of Aichgati Union.
The situation has become so alarming that police personnel themselves fear for their safety. In early October, a directive barred officers from travelling alone in plain clothes at night.
According to Khulna Metropolitan Police statistics, 37 murders were recorded in the city in 2025, a figure already surpassed this year.
Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik Khulna District Secretary Kudrat-e-Khuda told TIMES, “Although police give various arguments about the deterioration of law and order in Khulna, what they say is partly true. I think they could do a lot if they wanted to.”
He said police operations mainly targeted minor offenders while the masterminds remained beyond their reach. “Coordination meetings are held on the law and order of Khulna district, but they are hardly effective,” he added.
Khulna Metropolitan Police Detective Branch Chief Mohammad Asaduzzaman Mia said, “Various terrorist groups are recruiting new members, and many commit incidents and quickly leave the city for villages. Again, many are coming from villages to the city, because of which in many cases information is not obtained in time.”
Maintaining that police operations were continuing, he said, “Those who are carrying out these killings are doing so after planning well in advance.”
Extortion is also rampant across the city, but victims are reluctant to speak out or lodge complaints out of fear.
District police said 289 people were arrested during a special drive from 5 to 14 October.
Asked about the two shootings during the IGP’s visit, Khulna Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mohammad Shafiqul Islam told TIMES, “We are giving our utmost, but even then these shooting incidents are happening.”
He said a police patrol vehicle had passed through Tutpara, where the evening shooting occurred, just five minutes before the attack.
