Gaibandha: An Islami Chhatra Shibir activist, who was accused in a case filed for the bus arson attack on the Gaibandha-Polashbari road in Sadar upazila that left eight people dead, was killed in a reported encounter with Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at Burir Ghar in Palashbari upazila in early hours of Tuesday.

The deceased is Mostafa Manjil, an activist of the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami.

Police said a gang of criminals hurled a petrol bomb at a joint team of the RAB-13 and police when they reached the area after finishing a drive in the dead of night.

The law enforcers retaliated with opening fire at the criminals, triggering a fierce clash.

Several rounds of gunshot were traded between the law enforcers and the criminals.

Manjil was caught in the line of fire while his aides managed to flee.

Later, the team arrested bullet-injured Manjil and took him to a local hospital where on-duty doctors declared him dead.

The law enforcers also recovered two pistols, eight Molotov cocktails and two rounds of bullet from the scene.