Hifazat’s Hathazari Madrasa denies link with Oyasiqur murder suspect

The Hathazari Madrasa, run by the chief of radical outfit Hifazat-e Islami, has denied ‘Zikrullah’, arrested over the murder of online activist Oyasiqur Rahman Babu, was its student.

The madrasa authorities issued a statement on Tuesday, denying the police claim that Zikrullah, alias Zikr, was its student.

The statement said police had asked them to verify whether the madrasa had a student by the name of Zikrullah alias Zikr, who had taken admission forms No. 6506 and 6507.

Madrasa official Maulana Mufti Rashed was asked to check but he did not find that name matching those numbers.

Darul Ulum Muinul Islam Madrasa director Ahmed Shafi’s Press Secretary Maulana Munir Ahmed sent the statement.

The hundred-year-old madrasa is popularly known as Hathazari Madrasa. It has 7,000 students.

The statement also said none of the madrasas could identify Zikrullah or the opther person arrested in connection with the murder as their students.

Online activist Oyasiqur was hacked to death near his home at Tejgaon in Dhaka on Monday. 

Local people chased the killers and caught two of them - Zikrullah and ‘Ariful’.

Zikrullah and Ariful identified themselves as students of Hathazari Madrasa in Chittagong and Darul Ulum Madrasa at Mirpur, respectively.

Oyasiqur’s brother-in-law Monir Hossain filed a case accusing Zikrul, Ariful, Abu Taher and ‘Masum’.