Bangladesh police have apprehended a woman linked to the shooting of National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Mohammad Motaleb Sikder in Khulna. Sikder, the NCP’s Khulna divisional chief, was attacked near Gazi Medical College Hospital in Sonadanga. This incident follows the recent shooting of radical Islamist leader Sharif Osman Hadi in Dhaka on December 12.
Confirming the arrest, Taimur Islam, Officer-in-Charge of the Detective Division in Khulna Metropolitan, stated that the woman, identified as Tanima or Tanvi, was taken into custody from Sadar Police Station area. Tanima reportedly serves as the joint member secretary of NCP’s youth wing in Khulna. Reports indicate that Sikder was shot at Tanima’s rented house in Sonadanga and is now stable at Khulna Medical College Hospital.
Khulna Metropolitan Police are treating the shooting as a “domestic dispute” after discovering it occurred inside a rented house. Initially, Sikder claimed assailants on a motorcycle shot him on the street, but investigations revealed the attack happened indoors. Police found evidence of drugs and alcohol at the scene, indicating an internal conflict among the individuals present.
Bangladesh has witnessed a rise in violence and deteriorating law and order under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
