The firing took place when locals were demonstrating for the release of three leaders of Palli Bidyut Sangram Committee (PBSC), an organisation of local electricity subscribers, arrested in connection with January 4 violence in the area.

Of the dead, six were identified as Anwar, a rickshawpuller and son of Anij Uddin, Nasir, son of Ayej Uddin, Mannan, a day labourer and son of Mosahak, Garibullah, son of Nizam Uddin of Kansat, Chowdhury of Chatra Krishnachandrapur and Rashid.

Another unidentified juvenile injured in the incident died at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital.

On January 4, two people were killed in police firing in the same upazila in a similar incident when the locals laid siege to the Kansat Palli Bidyut Samity demanding uninterrupted power supply and reduced meter charge.

On Sunday night, police arrested Golam Rabbani, Zahir Chowdhury and Manirul Islam Manna, leaders of PBSC, which is leading a movement on five-point demand including reduction of electricity meter charge and minimum charges.

In an immediate reaction, hundreds of agitating people yesterday morning blocked the roads and highways in the area demanding release of the three.

They laid wooden and concrete poles of Palli Bidyut Samity on Chapainawabganj-Sonamasjid Road blocking a 55-kilometre stretch from Pukuria to Bholahat.

Thousands of passengers suffered as several hundred vehicles were stranded on the road. The mob also set fire to more than a hundred wooden poles on the road.

First Class Magistrate Sarwar Morshed and Superintendent of Police (SP) of the district Rezaul Karim reached the spot around 11:00am with additional police force and BDR personnel and asked the agitating people to settle the matter peacefully.

The law enforcers then removed the barricade from in front of the headquarters of Palli Bidyut office near Kansat Bazar and charged batons to disperse the protesters.

The law enforcers entered many houses in the area and beat up innocent people including women, witnesses alleged, which fuelled their anger.

The mob threw brickbats on the cops when they were removing barricades at Chakkirti in the afternoon. Hundreds of people from Chakkirti Road, Abbas Bazar and Kansat surrounded the policemen and locked in a clash with them.

At one point police opened fire to disperse the protesters, killing six people on the spot and injuring many others who were rushed to local hospitals.

During the police firing, the agitating people set ablaze five police vehicles including a truck and damaged many vehicles stranded on the road.

A tense situation was prevailing in the area as agitated people are still continuing their blockade programme. Additional contingents of police and BDR have been deployed in the area.