A local activist of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Khulna city on Friday.

The incident occurred at around 12.30pm in the Kazipara area of Mathabhanga under Lobonchora Police Station.

The deceased, Rafique Gazi 45, is the son of Ratan Gazi and a resident of the area.

Lobonchora police station officer-in-charge Syed Mosharraf Hossain said police rushed to the scene after receiving information about the shooting. However, none was arrested.

Police and local people said Rafique was sitting at a roadside shop about one kilometre away from his home when a helmet-wearing youth arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire on him. One of the bullets struck him in the abdomen, causing him to collapse on the spot.

Family members and locals rushed him to Khulna Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

The police officer said all nearby shops were found closed after the incident and no eyewitnesses were willing to provide information about the killing.

Police have been deployed in the area. Efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved in the murder, he added.

Asabur Rahman, member secretary of Jalma Union BNP in Batiaghata upazila, said Rafique was an active member of the union BNP and had previously served as a member of BNP’s Ward No-31 unit.