Two former leaders of Awami League’s (AL’s) associate bodies--Juba League (JL) and Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) have been shot to death in an attack allegedly by their rivals over establishing supremacy in Sadar upazila of Laxmipur on Tuesday night.

The deceased identified as Abdullah Al Noman, 35, and Rakib Imam, 28, were former general secretary and organising secretary of the district units JL and BCL respectively.          

Locals and police said there had long been a dispute between AL leader Abul Kashem Jehadhi, former chairman of Bashikpur union parishad (UP) and AL leader Mahfuzur Rahman, also incumbent chairman of the UP and elder brother  of murdered JL leader Noman in the area.   

A group of miscreants opened fire on the duo in the Poddar Bazar area under the UP around 10pm, leaving them critically injured, they said.

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They were rushed to the Laxmipur Sadar Hospital where physicians declared Noman dead upon arrival, said Dr Anowar Hossain, residential medical officer of the hospital.

He said Noman was brought to the hospital as dead while Rakib was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) after giving first aid.     

The former BCL leader succumbed to his injuries on the way to DMCH, he said, adding that the duo sustained bullet injuries in their heads and mouths.  

Noman’s brother Mahfuzur alleged that their opponent Jehadhi committed the killing to establish their supremacy in the area while UNB could not verify the allegations immediately.  

Mahfuzzaman Ashraf, superintendent of police of the district, said two people sustained bullet injuries in an incident and one of them succumbed to his injuries on the spot.

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Legal actions will be taken in this connection after investigation, he said.

Additional numbers of law enforcers were deployed in and around the area to ward off any unexpected incident further, the SP added.