The threats came from a secret meeting of several outlawed outfits in Jhenidah, the birth place of Janajuddho leader Abdur Rashid Malitha Tapan, on Wednesday where

they vowed to avenge the deaths of their partymen in 'crossfire', police sources said.

A top leader of an outlawed outfit in Jhenidah speaking anonymously yesterday confirmed holding of the meeting but declined to reveal decisions of the meeting.

According to sources, some suicide squads and bomb squads have been formed to carry out attacks on the installations. The bomb squad members are tasked with carrying bombs to other operatives who are to blast those at different installations.

After Wednesday's meeting of the outfits, top police officials held emergency meetings where they decided to put police on high alert and intensify security measures at TV and radio stations, power supply stations, bus stands, educational institutions and all other key installations in the districts.

Additional Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police (Khulna range) Sohrab Hossain visited the establishments in Jhenidah Thursday. He directed the law enforcers to remain on high alert against any unwanted situation.

Our Kushtia correspondent reported that the DIG ordered round-the-clock monitoring of security measures and combing operations to track down the extremists.

Apart from alerting five police stations and 22 outposts of Jhenidah, police in Khulna, Jessore, Magura, Kushtia, Chuadanga, Meherpur, Satkhira, Bagerhat and Narail were also asked to increase the number of forces to intensify security at important installations.

The police alert also followed last week's threats to seven journalists of Satkhira. Janajuddho, a faction of Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP), issued the threats

for writing against them and for 'not writing against the killings of their operatives in crossfire'.

After Wednesday's meeting, police picked up a woman the same day from Jhenidah town on suspicion of her being a member of suicide squad. But the woman, who was ill during her arrest, claimed innocence and was released later.

It is learnt that the outlaws have prepared a hit-list of 'class enemies' who include two journalists from Khulna town.

Earlier on December 22 last year, the seven outlawed parties held another secret meeting on Jhenidah Bscic estate premises. They formed 'several killing squads' for operations in ten southwestern districts and six northern districts, according to sources.

The parties are PBCP, Janajuddho and Red Flag factions of the PBCP, Gono Mukti Fouj (GMF), Biplobi Anuragi, Bangladesh Socialist Party (BSP) and Jashad Gono Bahini (JGB).

The meeting was held on the heels of the death of Mofakkhar Hossain Choudhury, founder of the PBCP.

Speakers at the meeting claimed 80 outlaws were killed by the law enforcers in the name of crossfire.

GMF chief Sabuz in a press release later blamed the BNP-Jamaat-led government for the 'killings'.

The leaders at the meeting said 'killings' in the so-called crossfire are a violation of human rights and they would take revenge, the press release said.

Our Khulna correspondent adds: Additional forces have been deployed at TV and radio station, power supply stations and all other key installations of the city.

All police stations, outposts and camps in Khulna division were put on high alert since Tuesday.

Police were raiding different hideouts of the underground operatives in Khulna to arrest them.