A local BNP leader was shot and critically injured by unidentified assailants in front of his house in Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria last night.

The injured, Mofizur Rahman Mukul, 52, is the former joint general secretary of Nabinagar upazila BNP and a former convenor of the upazila Jubo Dal, said BNP and police sources.

The incident took place around 8:00pm in the upazila’s Adalatpara area.

Witnesses said Mukul had spent the day distributing party leaflets in Bitghar Bazar and later attended a meeting at the local BNP office. When he got off rickshaw in front of his house, assailants opened fire from behind. Two bullets struck him — one in the back and another below the waist.

Locals rushed him to Nabinagar Upazila Health Complex, from where he was referred to Dhaka for advanced treatment.

Habibur Rahman Habib, Nabinagar upazila health and family planning officer, said, “Mukul suffered two bullet wounds. His condition was deteriorating, so we referred him to Dhaka immediately.”

Following the attack, BNP activists brought out a protest procession in the town, demanding immediate arrest of those responsible.

Nabinagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Shahinur Islam said, “We have recovered three bullet casings from the scene. An investigation is underway.”He added, “We are investigating whether the incident stemmed from political motives or personal disputes.”

Brahmanbaria Superintendent of Police Ehteshamul Haque around 11:00pm yesterday said, “Multiple police and intelligence teams are working on the case. We expect to arrest the culprits soon.”