A BNP activist was found dead with his throat slit in Jashore’s Chowgacha upazila this afternoon.

The deceased was identified as Atiar Rahman, 42, an executive member of the Chowgacha Sadar union BNP unit. Police recovered his body from a canal in Singhojhuli union around 5:00pm.

According to Atiar’s father, he worked as caretaker of the Ber Gobindapur baor (a waterbody) and usually returned home every morning after spending the night there. When he did not return today, relatives began searching for him. His nephew Hasan eventually spotted the body floating in the canal and alerted family members, who then informed police.

Atiar was also engaged in agricultural activities and irrigation management through a deep tube well near the baor.

Relatives of the victim allegedly assaulted Osman, 30, of Fatepur village on suspicion of involvement in the killing. Police later took him in custody for questioning.

MA Salam, president of Chowgacha upazila BNP, said Atiar had longstanding disputes with certain individuals over issues related to the baor. He claimed those people had previously attacked Atiar and his family members, with cases filed over those incidents. Salam demanded immediate arrest of those responsible.

Chowgacha Police Station Officer-in-charge Mamunur Rashid said police observed multiple sharp weapon injuries on the victim’s body, including cuts to the throat, abdomen and beneath the right armpit. The body was sent to Jashore General Hospital morgue for autopsy at 7:30pm.

“We have taken one person into custody for questioning and are continuing the investigation,” he added.