Dhaka, Sept 22: Suspected leftwing rebels shot dead three people in southwestern Bangladesh, police said today, taking the death toll this week to eight in a sudden surge of bloodletting after a lull spanning several years. An activist of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party and another from the main opposition Awami League were called out of their homes yesterday and gunned down on a nearby football field, police said.
The killings took place in Khulna district, 136 kilometers southwest of the capital Dhaka.
In another incident in the area, an ex-rebel who had surrendered during a general amnesty three years ago was killed allegedly by his former comrades.
"We suspect they were killed by members of the banned new Biplobi communist party," one police officer said by telephone, adding an investigation into this week's bloodshed was under way.
In earlier incidents, four policemen, three rebels and a passerby were killed in Khulna and adjoining Sirajganj districts.
The independent daily reported today that tension was running high in the southwestern districts following the sudden spurt in activities of the Leftwing groups.
Police and members of the paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles have imposed a tight security clamp on villages in the area as they hunt down the rebels, also known as Sarbahara, or have-nots. Bureau Report