Rezaul Huq alias Kalu, 28, was killed in a crossfire at Jagirhude village in Alamdange upazila in Chuadanga district Thursday night. He was the son of Rabiul Mondol of Rangpur village in the upazila.

The special combing operation has been launched at the directive of Lutfozzaman Babar, State Minister for Home Affairs.

The operation is aimed at 'weeding out' extremists and nabbing their godfathers 'at any cost' before the next parliamentary election. A fresh list of the wanted persons has been prepared, said a highly placed source at Khulna Range DIG office.

Experienced and courageous police officers have been posted in all police stations in south western region to make the operation a success, said a source in Khulna Rab-6.

On the other hand, extremists are also not sitting idle. Some leaders and cadres of PBCP Janajuddho held a secret meeting on Thursday at a house at Darbeshpur village in Meherpur to plan how to face the special combing operation, sources said. A PBCP cadre was killed while making bomb at that house on the same night. He could not be identified till yesterday, Meherpur police said.

Besides, Janajuddho has circulated leaflets in Jessore town, bitterly criticising four-party alliance government for what it called harbouring militants of banned Jamaatul Mujahideen, Bangladesh (JMB). The leaflets termed the arrest of JMB leaders an eyewash and stage-managed drama and said JMB kingpins Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai are creation of ruling parties.