What's in Shafiul's mobile?

Mystery shrouds the contents of slain Rajshahi University (RU) teacher AKM Shafiul Islam's mobile phone.

His colleagues say the teacher was still holding onto the phone when they rescued him after he was attacked.

Political science teacher SM Ekram Ullah, who took his severely injured colleague to the hospital in a microbus, said Shafiul did not want to let go of the phone.

Ekram told bdnews24.com: "I tried to take the phone from him when we were taking him to the hospital. But he didn't let go. I think the phone has something on it."

Marketing teacher Omar Faruq Sarkar, who was with Ekram at the time, said, "He clutched the phone on him before handing it over to police."

It is currently with the police. Motihar Police Station OC Alamgir Hossain said they were checking the contents including Shafiul's call list.

Professor Shafiul and his colleague Assistant Professor Zulfikar Ali Islam had come out of the campus on Saturday afternoon riding his motorcycle.

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The sociology teacher was attacked in Chouddapai when he was on way home after dropping Zulfikar at the university's Binodpur gate.

Unknown assailants hacked Shafiul with sharp weapons, leaving him with severe injuries.

He was rushed to the Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital by his colleagues, but died there an hour later.

Zulfikar told bdnews24.com: "He was near his home when he was attacked. Neither me nor he had any inkling of what would happen."

Two days after the murder, police are yet to make any significant progress despite the arrest of 11 people, many of them from Binodpur.

"We are nowhere (with the investigation)," Motihar police OC Hossain told bdnews24.com on Monday.

But he said they were conducting raids to arrest the killers. "We had detained a number of people, but released many of them after questioning."

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Shafiul was hacked near the Ahle Hadith Mosque at Binodpur where another university teacher Prof Md Yunus was murdered the same way.

Shafiul, who had become big enthusiast of Bengali Baul saint Lalon two years ago, was killed by militants, his son Soumin Sahrid Javin has claimed.

OC Alamgir Hossain, who is the case investigation officer, said they were also investigating that allegation.

Police, however, are not keeping the slain professor's personal life out of the probe.

Shafiul married thrice. His first wife committed suicide in 2003. He married twice later but the second and third wife divorced him.

A teacher of the university, asking not to be named, told bdnews24.com that Shafiul has been living alone since 2010 after his last divorce.

The teacher said Javin was the son Shafiul had with his first wife.

Apart from taking classes, overseeing examinations or attending the teachers club, he would not attend any other activities on the campus.

For details please read the Bangla story