A leader of Purba Banglar Communist Party (ML-Lal Pataka) was killed in a “shootout” with police in Mirpur upazila of Kushtia early today.

Deceased Enamul Haq, 35, was a regional commander of the PBCP, reports our Kushtia correspondent.

He was an accused in 26 cases including seven for murders filed with different police stations in Kushtia, Meherpur and Chuadanga, police said.

Kazi Jalal Uddin, officer-in-charge of Mirpur Police Station, said Enamul demanded Tk 2 lakh as extortion from Sahidul Islam, a brick kiln owner of Bhanga Bot Tola, several days back.

He finally threatened to kill Shahidul and destroy his brick kiln as he denied to pay the money.

“Separate teams of Kushtia Detective Branch (DB) and Mirpur police took position near the brick kiln after receiving information that Enamul and his cohorts were going to the brick kiln at about 3:30:am,” the OC said.

At one stage, police cordoned off the outlaws and asked them to surrender.

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But defying the police call, the outlaws opened fire, forcing them to retaliate with bullets, the OC said.

Enamul was caught in the line of fire and died on the spot during the gunfight, he said adding that the other outlaws managed to flee the scene.

Police recovered a shutter gun, several bullets and a sharp weapon from the spot.

DB Sub-Inspector Masud and a constable were also injured in the incident, the OC said.

Enamul, Son of Robiul Islam of Asaannagar village in Mirpur, was a top cadre of PBCP-Janajuddho faction and a close aide of the outlawed party’s commander Abir Hasan.

Enamul joined with the PBCP-Lal Pataka faction after Abir was killed in a “shootout” with Rapid Action Battalion in 2006.

He was also a top cadre of former BNP lawmaker of Kushtia-2 (Mirpur-Bheramara) Sahidul Islam.

Enamul was sentenced to 10 and 14 years’ imprisonment in arms cases in 2010 and 2012