Police looking at different leads on Shafiul murder

Police do not agree with RAB that Rajshahi University teacher Professor AKM Shafiul Islam has been killed in an act of personal revenge.

RAB arrested six people including the 'mastermind' on Sunday. But Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) at a press briefing a day later said their investigation did not find any personal motives behind the killing.

Police still suspect militants and Islami Chhatra Shibir had a say in the murder and are looking at their possible motives.

The sociology department teacher was hacked to death near his house in Chouddapai area, adjacent to the campus, on Nov 15.

After the incident, police arrested 11 people and claimed 'Jamaat-e-Islami controlled' militants carried out the murder.

However, RAB arrested six people, including two pro-BNP activists, during overnight raids on Saturday and Sunday in Dhaka and Rajshahi.

At a press briefing on Sunday, the elite police unit claimed Islam was murdered ‘in revenge for his misbehaviour with a female university employee' and there were no connection to the militants.

But Rajshahi Police Commissioner Mohammad Shamsuddin at Monday's media call said, "Further investigation is needed to find the real motive behind Professor Shafiul Islam's murder. But we are closing in on that."

He said they had already arrested Shibir activists 'Sagar', 'Jinnah' and 'Arif' who are among the 11 'involved' in the murder.

"Two of them took part in the attack. The clothes they were wearing at that time have also been recovered. Police found parts of their mobile phones at the murder scene."

Shamsuddin said the trio had been involved in earlier acts of sabotage carried out by Jamaat and Shibir.

Sagar has four cases against him, Jinnah has three and Arif is accused in one.

The commissioner said police had been looking at personal, professional and militancy issues.

"But no personal motive has been found. But information given by those arrested by RAB hints at professional conflicts."

Shibir's connection to the murder was found in the militant issue, he said before adding that they might stumble into the motive in the next day or two following interrogation of the arrestees.

Shamsuddin said RAB's six arrestees were being brought to Rajshahi. They would be put face to face with the three arrested Shibir activists.

The six are - former RU unit Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal Vice-President Abdus Samad Pintu, Katakhali municipality Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal leader Ariful Islam Manik, rickshaw-puller Ibrahim Khalil alias Tokai Babu, Al Mamun, Sirajul Islam alias Kalu, and Md Sabuj Sheikh.

According to RAB, two others – Juba Dal district unit convener Anwar Hossain Ujjal and fish trader Jamai Babu – were also involved in the planning.

RAB said Ujjal and Pintu masterminded the murder while Manik led the attack.

According to the force, the perpetrators murdered the teacher for misbehaving with the university’s accounts section officer ‘Nasrin’, wife of Pintu.

However, both Rajshahi metropolitan and RU units of Chhatra Dal at a press briefing Monday rejected the RAB's claim and demanded that the ‘real killers’ be identified.

Earlier, both police and the son of the slain professor, who was known for his devotion to the way of Baul Lalon Shah, had 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.

Claiming they had information that a Jamaat-controlled militant group was involved in the murder, Motihar Police Station OC Alamgir Hossain earlier had said police from Bogra detained four blacksmiths who made the machetes used to kill Prof Shafiul Islam.

The four were brought to Rajshahi on Nov 19, he added.

Hossain had said they also arrested two people who created the 'Ansar al Islam Bangladesh-2' Facebook page and claimed the credit of carrying out the assassination.

They are madrasa teacher Shariful Islam of Bogra and an eighth grader boy.

At Monday's press conference, RMP Deputy Commissioner AKM Nahidul Islam said they were also conducting raids to arrest the chief of the Ansar al Islam Bangladesh-2, who is a Bogra Shibir leader.