A man was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Kopalia Bazar, Monirampur Upazila of Jashore, on Monday evening, just two days after BNP leader Alamgir Hossain was killed in the district.
The victim has been identified as Rana Pratap Bepari, son of Tushar Kanti Bepari from Arua village in Keshabpur Upazila. Eyewitnesses and police said he was targeted and collapsed at the scene around 5.45pm.
Police recovered his body and sent it to Jashore 250-bed General Hospital for autopsy.
Rana Pratap was previously linked to the daily newspaper BD Khobor as acting editor. However, the paper’s executive editor Mirza Mahmud Hossain denied any connection, claiming Rana Pratap had forcibly taken control of the publication while the official editor, Liton Dutta, remained in hiding for political reasons.
Local sources said Rana Pratap was a former member of the East Bengal Communist Party. Some residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, added that he faced multiple police cases.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime & Operations) Abul Bashar confirmed the shooting. “Preliminary investigations indicate possible involvement of an extremist group. He was also facing a case under the Explosives Act with the Keshabpur Police Station. Full details will be revealed after the investigation,” he said.
The killing has raised tension across the district, coming just days after the murder of Alamgir Hossain.
