AT LEAST 10 people, including a local leader of the Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal, the volunteer wing of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party, were injured when unidentified assailants opened fire at Daulatpur upazila in Kushtia on Monday night.

The incident took place at about 11:30pm in the Majdiar area of Moricha union. The injured were rescued by local residents and taken to Kushtia General Hospital, where they were undergoing treatment.

The injured were Moricha union Swechchhasebak Dal convener Rabiul Islam, 36, his wife Toma Khatun, 26, his father Hafez Pramanik, ,70, Sohel Rana, 45, Kamrul Islam, 37, Munni Khatun, 24, Runa Khatun, 27, Mita Khatun, 30, Towhidul Islam, 30, and Merina Khatun, 25.

According to witnesses, Rabiul Islam was standing in front of his house during a power outage when a group of 10 to 15 armed men suddenly attacked him.

As his family members and nearby residents rushed to the scene after hearing his cries for help, the attackers allegedly opened indiscriminate fire, injuring multiple people on the spot before fleeing.

Confirming the matter, Daulatpur police station officer-in-charge M Arifur Rahman said that police reached the spot immediately after reports of gunfire.

The motive behind the incident could not be known immediately and law enforcement agencies were conducting operations to identify and arrest those involved in the incident, Arifur said, adding that legal action would be taken once the suspects were identified.