NCP labour leader shot in broad daylight in Khulna, left in critical condition

A senior labour leader affiliated with Bangladesh’s National Citizen Party (NCP) has been shot in broad daylight in the southern city of Khulna, police have said, in an incident that comes days after the fatal shooting of another political activist in Dhaka.

The victim, Motaleb Shikdar, a coordinator of Jatiya Sramik Shakti—the labour wing of the NCP—was shot shortly before noon on Monday in the Sonadanga area of the city.

Police said Shikdar was taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital in a critical condition after sustaining gunshot injuries to the head.

Inspector Animesh Mondol of Sonadanga Model Police Station said the shooting occurred around 11:45am.

“Local residents rushed him to the hospital immediately after the incident,” he said, adding that police had been deployed to both the crime scene and the hospital. Further details would be shared after preliminary investigations, he said.

The incident was also confirmed by NCP Joint Chief Organiser Mahmudah Mitu, who posted on social media that Shikdar—also described as the head of the party’s Khulna division labour wing—had been shot. She shared a photograph showing him receiving medical treatment.

Shikdar, 42, is a resident of the Sheikh Para area of Khulna and the son of Muslim Shikdar, according to party and police sources.

The attack comes just 10 days after Inquilab Mancha leader Sharif Osman Hadi was shot in Dhaka. Hadi later died from his injuries while undergoing treatment in Singapore, sparking widespread outrage and renewed concerns over political violence.

Police say investigations into the Khulna shooting are under way, and no arrests have yet been reported.