Mohammad Jamil Khan and Sushanta Ghosh, from Barisal

Four killings in 10 days -- first two on April 11 and then again on April 20.

Feuds, especially over the Ulania Union Parishad election and control of illegal toll collections at fishery ghats, led to the bloodshed in Mehendiganj upazila of Barisal.

The election, scheduled to be held on December 10 last year, was postponed following a series of clashes, but the rivalry continued and resulted in the killings.

Police and locals say rebel chairman candidate Ruma Begum and her son first plotted the murder of Saiful Islam Mistry to frame their archrival, Awami League-nominated candidate Abdul Halim Milon Chowdhury.

Saiful, a day labourer, was an easy target as his father was paralysed and his wife was helpless with two little kids. His stepmother Kohinur Begum took part in the murder conspiracy in exchange for Tk 40,000.

After the killing around 1:00am on April 11, Ruma’s followers announced from a local mosque’s loudspeaker at 3:30am that Milon’s supporters had attacked Asha village and committed a murder, police and local sources said.

Hearing the announcement, Milon’s supporters came out with sticks to protest this, and got locked into a clash with their rivals, which left a man named Sayed Chowdhury badly injured.

Sayed, who was a supporter of Milon, breathed his last at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital later in the day, said a senior official of the district police.

While police were probing the incidents, two others were killed in Shouldi village under the same union on April 20. This time the victims were two AL activists -- Siddiqur Rahman and Abdus Sattar Dhali.

A district police official, earlier involved in the probe, said these two killings were also plotted by Ruma’s family “just to divert attention”.

Four separate cases were filed with Mehendiganj Police Station over the killings.