Masked assailants in simultaneous attacks in three villages yesterday burned a Jubo League activist to death inside his house and injured three people at Haidkandi union under Mirsarai upazila.

Family members and local Awami League leaders blamed BNP-Jamaat men for the attacks but police have yet to identify the assailants.

The deceased was Mohammad Mohiuddin, 35, member of Haidkandi union unit of Jubo League and

general secretary of Borodarogarhat-Kamar Ali Auto-Rickshaw Association.

The injured are Mohiuddin's Father Etim Ali, 70, his brother Mohammed Harun, 36, and Rajib, 27, son of Haidkandi ward-8 unit's AL President Mohammad Shahjahan.

According to Mohiuddin's family, a group of 20-25 masked men equipped with firearms and sharp weapons broke into their house at Jogodishpur village around 12:30am.

They hacked at Etim and Harun's hands and beat up Mohiuddin's sister Jebi and mother Sufia Begum. All but Mohiuddin managed to get out of the house through a rear door, said Shahjahan Babul, the victim's elder brother, who managed to escape unhurt.

The attackers indiscriminately hacked Mohiuddin and set fire to the house while he was still inside, Babul said, adding that the criminals went away after blasting several cocktails.

Fire service officials recovered the body later and police sent the body to Chittagong Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy.

Babul said, "Jamaat-Shibir men were behind the attack as his brother was involved in Awami League poli-

tics."

When Mohiuddin was under attack, nearly a kilometre south, another group of masked men attacked the house of Haidkandi ward-8 unit AL President Mohammed Shahjahan at Baliadi village.

Shahjahan escaped through the rear door when the attackers broke into the house and hacked his son Rajib, 27, indiscriminately in the head.

The attackers fled the spot after blasting a few cocktails as locals gathered around the house. Rajib was admitted to CMCH in a critical condition.

In Dakkhin Kurua village, around 20 to 25 masked men hurled cocktails at the house of Mohammed Rubel, another Jubo League activist. The attackers however could not break in and left the scene after vandalising the windowpanes.

Mirsarai upazila Jubo League General Secretary Jahangir Kabir said, "The commando-style simultaneous attacks on three different houses indicate that cadres of Jamaat-Shibir and BNP were involved."

He said "political rivalry" was behind the attacks.

Imtiaz Bhuiyan, officer-in-charge of Mirsarai police, said they were investigating the incidents.