BNP's Bangladesh: City ward commissioner Newton gunned down
Mohammed Kalam
Staff Correspondent
A newly elected ruling BNP-backed Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) ward
commissioner of Mirpur was gunned down and two of his aides were
wounded at Dhanmondi in the city yesterday.
Police said three unidentified gunmen shot and killed Saidur Rahman
Newton, commissioner of ward No. 8, as he came out of Sheetal, a
barber shop at Road No. 27, Dhanmondi at about 11:30 am yesterday. He
was about to get in the microbus (Dhaka Metro-Cha-11-3668) to join the
wedding reception of his younger brother scheduled to be held at the
Rajanigandha Community Center at Dhanmondi.
A fatally injured Newton was rushed to the Dhaka Medical College
Hospital where he died, sources said.
Newton, also vice-president of the suspended central committee of
BNP's student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), was elected ward
commissioner in the DCC election held on April 25.
Kazi Ismail, a bodyguard of the commissioner, was hit in the thigh and
the commissioner's driver Mizan in the throat, police and hospital
sources said. They were receiving treatment for critical injuries.
Newton was accused in at least 36 criminal cases. However, some
sources said all the cases were filed during the rule of the Awami
League government to harass him politically.
Family members of the slain ward commissioner said some members of
Kala Jahangir group had come to his residence in his absence only five
days ago and issued threats to him.
Sources said Kala Jahangir might have hands in the killing in an
attempt to establish his supremacy in Mirpur area.
Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister and BNP
Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Housing and Public Works
Minister Mirza Abbas, State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman
Babar and State Minister for Land Ukil Abdul Sattar went to the DMCH
to see the body.
After autopsy, the body was taken to the BNP central office at Naya
Paltan and later, it was sent to his constituency. His Namaj-e-Janaja
was held at the BNP central office at Naya Paltan after the Asr
prayers. He was to be buried at the Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard
at Mirpur.
Newton married Misty, sister of Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu MP, also the
president of the JCD. He left a three-month old girl Chomok.
A tense situation prevailed at the DMCH, as his followers and fellow
JCD men started gathered there. Several hundred people also gathered
at 1/G, 4/22 residence of the victim at Mirpur section-1.
An additional police force was deployed at places of ward No. 8 in
Mirpur after the killing.
[Daily Star, 11-may-02]