Khulna/Dhaka(FNO): Bangladesh was jolted by another incident of political violence on Monday as Motaleb Sikder, a senior student leader with a controversial past, was shot in the head by unidentified gunmen in the southwestern city of Khulna, just days after the killing of radical student figure Sharif Osman Hadi.

According to local police sources, Sikder, 42, was attacked in a targeted shooting late Monday evening. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, where doctors confirmed that he sustained a severe gunshot wound to the head. His condition remains grave, officials said.

The incident comes less than a week after Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent and polarising student leader, succumbed to gunshot injuries at a hospital in Singapore, following an attack in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area. The back-to-back shootings have triggered alarm over a possible escalation in factional violence within Bangladesh’s student and political circles.

Security agencies are now examining whether the two attacks are linked, raising concerns of retaliatory strikes or an internal power struggle among radical and former student factions.

Police have launched a manhunt to identify the assailants. CCTV footage from the surrounding area is being analysed, and multiple teams have been deployed to trace the attackers’ escape route. However, no arrests had been made at the time of filing this report.

A senior police official said, “This appears to be a planned and targeted attack. We are investigating all angles, including political rivalry and past enmity.”

The twin incidents have sparked renewed debate over law and order, especially ahead of politically sensitive months in Bangladesh