Criminals killed a Jubo League activist at Amdabad village in Rupsha upazila yesterday afternoon.

The deceased was identified as Selim Reza alias Selim, 40, son of Jalal Uddin Sheikh of Natun Bazar area in the city.

He was an activist ofWard No 22 of city unit Jubo League and former editor of the daily Kalantar, a local newspaper.

Ashraf Hossain, officer in-charge at Rupsha police station, said a gang waylaid Selim, also a fish trader, while coming from the city along with his four associates. They stabbed him mercilessly, leaving him dead on the spot at around 3:00pm.

The incident took place when he was returning home after attending an election campaign in favour of his brother at the office of cargo handling workers' union in the upazila. Selim was accused in several criminal cases including extortion, said the OC.

He might have been killed over previous enmity, said superintendent of police of Khulna Abdur Rauf.

Meanwhile, Khulna city unit Awami League blamed Jamaat-Shibir men for the killing.

In a statement, city mayor and president of the unit Talukder Abdul Khaleque and its secretary Mizanur Rahman Mizan demanded immediate arrest and punishment of the killers.