Dhaka: Two ruling party men–one accused of beating a teenage boy to death in Dhaka and another accused in Magura factional clash that left an expecting mother and her baby inside the womb wounded by bullets–were killed in separate incidents of ‘shootout’ in the early hours of Tuesday.

Amid the widespread criticisms of the law enforcement agencies for their failure to check the growing incidents of repression on children and women, a Chhatra League leader in Dhaka and a Juba League leader in Magura were killed during ‘gunfights’ between their cohorts and members of Rab and police.

The recent spate in child killings, including Rajon in Sylhet and Rakib in Khulna, sparked a wave of protest demanding proper action against the perpetrators.

In the capital, ex-Hazaribagh thana unit Chhatra League president Arju was killed in a gunfight between his associates and members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in the area.

Arju was the prime accused in the killing of teenage boy Raja, who was tortured to death allegedly by Arzu and his associates in the city's Ganaktuli of Hazaribagh on Monday over theft of a cellphone set.

Sources at the Rab Headquarters said a team of Rab-2 arrested Arju from Hazaribagh area on Monday midnight.

When the Rab team was going to conduct operation along with Arju to arrest his associates, miscreants tried to snatch the BCL leader from the crime busting force's custody near Mannan Principal's house at Boraikhal in Hazaribagh area around 3:30 am, said Director (Legal and media wing) of Rab headquarters Mufti Mahmood Khan.

He said as the miscreants fired gunshots, the elite force also retaliated by shooting fire and Arju sustained bullet injuries during the exchange of fire.

At one stage, Arju's associates fled the scene and the Rab team recovered two foreign made pistols and three bullets from there, the media wing director of the Rab headquarters added.

Arju was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries at about 5:30 am.

Raja, 16, son of Babul Hossain of 46 Ganaktuli in Hazaribagh, was reportedly picked up by Arju and his associates from his (Raja’s) house and they took him to Arju's residence on Monday morning alleging that the teenage boy stole his (Arju’s) mobile phone set. The boy was tortured to death later.

In Magura, local Juba League leader Azibar was killed in a reported shootout between his associates and police in Doarpar municipality area of the district town.

The deceased, was an accused in the case filed in connection with the Juba League factional clash in Magura that killed a person and left an expecting mother and her baby inside the womb wounded by bullets.

Tipped off, a team of police conducted a drive in the area when a group of people, including Azibar, were holding a secret meeting there at about 12:30 am, assistant superintendent of police Sudarshan Kumar Roy told UNB.

Sensing the law enforcers’ presence, members of the group opened fire on them, forcing police to fire back that triggered a gun battle.

Azibar was caught in the line of fire and died on the spot, while his other associates managed to flee the scene.

Later, police recovered the body and sent it to Magura Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy.

Nazma Begum, 30, a seven-month expecting mother, her uncle-in-law Momin Bhuiyan,65, and another man, Miraz, 30, suffered bullet wounds as they were caught in the line of fire during a clash between two groups of Juba League at Doarpara in sadar upazila in the evening of 23 July.