Senior Correspondent and Rajshahi Correspondent,
bdnews24.com
Published: 2014-11-23 15:25:23.0 BdST
Updated: 2014-11-23 20:44:04.0 BdST
The RAB has arrested six
people, including two pro-BNP activists, who it claims 'masterminded
and killed' Rajshahi University teacher AKM Shafiul Islam.
RAB Additional Director General Ziaul
Ahsan told bdnews24.com the men were arrested during overnight raids on
Saturday and Sunday at different parts of Dhaka and Rajshahi.
The arestees are former RU unit
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal Vice-President Abdus Samad Pintu, Katakhali
municipality Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal leader Ariful Islam Manik, 'Tokai' Babu,
'Mamun', 'Kalu', and 'Sabuj'.
Both the JCD and Juba Dal are BNP
affiliates.
At a media call on Sunday, RAB
spokesperson Mufti Mahmud Khan claimed the detainees had admitted to murdering
Prof Islam for his 'discourteous behaviour' towards Pintu's wife, who works at
the university's accounts section.
Sociology teacher Islam, known for his
devotion to the way of renowned Baul Lalon Shah, was hacked to death near the
university on Nov 15.
Police and his son claimed militants
were behind the murder. A self-proclaimed militant organisation 'Ansar al Islam
Bangladesh-2' claimed responsibility on a Facebook post hours after the murder.
But RAB said they did not find any
militant link.
The elite police unit said they also did
not find evidence of any involvement of a female student found locked inside Islam's
house after the murder.
According to RAB, two more local Juba
Dal leaders – district unit convenor Anowar Hossian Ujjal and Jamai Babu – were
involved in the planning of the murder.
The attackers decided to assault Islam
after consulting Ujjal and Babu. Manik led the attack and Sabuj hit Islam in
the head.
Police have detained and interrogated 11
people, including two teachers of a Jamaat-e-Islami-controlled institution,
over the killing.
Motihar Police Station OC Alamgir
Hossain, who is investigating the case, claimed the detainees were Jamaat
supporters.
He told the court that they had found
evidence that Jamaat-backed militants had murdered Islam.
RAB officer Khan said they had learnt
that three of the 11 people detained by police were involved in the killing.
OC Hossain said Juba Dal leader Manik
was a notorious goon at Katakhali. He allegedly worked for local BNP leaders
and controlled illegal trades.
He is said to have 17 cases against him,
including one for murder, at the Motihar Police Station.
Despite being arrested several times,
Manik had secured bail from the High Court a few days ago.
Rajshahi Juba Dal unit convenor and the
district's BNP unit Joint General Secretary Ujjal had proposed that the
Katakhali municipal Juba Dal committee be headed by Manik. But the suggestion
was not approved, said Rajshahi Juba Dal's Joint Convenor Jamilur Rahman Jamil.
He claimed former RU JCD leader Pintu
and Ujjal were also partners in business.
"They used to do various work at
the university by using the licence of the contractor firm Hossain Enterprise.
They used to control their smuggling, extortion, and contractor jobs with
Manik’s help," he alleged.
However, the claims could not be
independently verified.
