PABNA. Dec 11: Bangladesh Chhatra League activists today ransacked the district BNP of fice. damaged vehicles and shops and called a four-hour hartal in the. town protesting the killing of a Sramik League leader yesterday evening.

The four hour hartal from 2 pm was observed by and large peacefully

Abul Kalam Azad. organis ing secretary of the district Sramik League and storekeeper of the local Power Development

Board office was shot dead at his office room by some unidentified assailants Leaders of the Sramik League, labour front of ruling Awami League, blamed BNP for the killing

Protesting the killing, angry Chhatra League activists paraded the streets, carrying sticks and hockey sticks, ransacked the BNP office at Lahiripur and took away the signboard at about noon They damaged one car, two mi-

crobuses. a police van and ransacked five shops at the Mukti-joddha Sangsad Market, witnesses said. This created panic in the town.

At about 1 pm. they called a four-hour hartal in the town from 2 pm. No untoward incident was reported during the hartal hour, police said.

Meanwhile, nine persons — Nadim, Sharif, Kamruzzaman, Shablrul Karim, Beleyet Hossain. Mustaquim, Sumon, Mofizuddin and Rabindranath — were arrested in connection with the killing, police said. Eight of the arrested are PDB employees and the rest one is a restaurant owner.

Police^said Azad's younger brother Rashedul Haq Ranju. the then president of Awami League-backed Chhatra League of Edward College unit of Chhatra League was also killed in the town on May 16. 1993.

Abul Kalam Azad was the plaintiff and principal witness in the Ranju murder case .

Azad recently deposed before the trial court but his deposition was incomplete.