Law and order slides in 10 southwestern districts

The figure was 41 in August, 46 in July and 32 in June, according to police records.

Incidents of bomb blasts in the region during September also increased to at least 24 from 14 in the previous month.

However, other crimes including abduction, robbery and rape declined during the period, police said.

A number of high officials of police seeking anonymity admitted the deterioration in law and order. It is a 'sudden phenomenon' they said and expressed the hope that the situation will improve soon as they have intensified their anti-crime drive in the region.

Talking to this correspondent, they suspected that the breakaway faction of outlawed Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) and gangsters are responsible for the killings.

The victims include businessmen, political leaders and activists, farmers and outlaws.

Of the victims, 17 were businessmen, killed for not paying toll to outlaws; and 15 were leaders and activists of different political parties.

At least 12 outlaws were killed by their rivals. The rest were innocent people.

The 10 districts are Kushtia, Meherpur, Chuadanga, Jhenidah, Magura, Jessore, Narail, Bagerhat, Satkhira and Khulna.

Kushtia topped the list with 13 murders, followed by 12 in Jessore, 10 in Khulna, 9 in Chuadanga, five in Jhenidah, 4 in Bagerhat, 3 in Narail, 2 in Magura, 5 in Meherpur and one in Satkhira.

The sudden rise in murders raised a question among law enforcers and people whether drastic anti-crime drives including crossfire incidents would check targeted killings, mostly by outlaws or criminal gangs engaged in extortion.

According to police records, nine crossfire deaths took place in the 10 districts last month, raising the figure to 345 since June 2004.

Among them, 158 people were killed during June-December 2004, 108 in 2005 and the rest were killed this year.

Law enforcers blamed outlawed parties for the killings. Some sources said outlaws vowed to avenge 'crossfire' killings, terming it 'cold-blooded' murder.

At least 13 outlawed parties including a newly floated one are active in the region with about 10000 cadres. These are four factions of Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP)-- PBCP-ML, PBCP-Janajuddho, PBCP-Red Flag and PBCP-Communist War--, Bipplobi Communist Party (BCP), New Bipplobi Communist Party (NBCP), Banglar Communist Party (BCP-Laltu) Gono Mukti Fouj (GMF) and Gono Bahini (GB), Socialist Party (SP), Bipplobi Anuragi, Chhi-nnomul Communist Party (CCP) and the Sharbahara Peoples Manch (SPM), launched last month.

The source claimed that outlaws increased their activities taking the scope of alleged lax vigilance by law enforcers in recent days. They said officials and personnel of different law enforcement agencies are now busy lobbying with authorities for transfer in 'good place' at the fag end of the government's tenure.