Ganajagaran spokesperson Imran Sarker blames govt for attack on publishers

Ganajagaran Mancha Spokesperson Imran Sarker has blamed the government for the killing of a publisher and attack on another in Dhaka within a span of a few hours.

“These attacks prove the law enforcing agencies have totally failed," he told reporters on Saturday evening.

Assailants hacked Suddhaswar publisher’s Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury Tutul, blogger Tarek Rahim and writer Ranadipam Basu at his Lalmatia office around 2:30pm.

Tutul and Rahim are in critical condition, doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) say.

Hours later, assailants hacked to death Faisal Arefin Dipan of 'Jagriti Prokashony' at Shahbagh.

Both publishers published slain writer-blogger Avijit Roy’s books.

Roy was killed in a similar attack on the Dhaka University campus in February.

Four secular bloggers, including Roy, were hacked to death between February and August.

Sarker, speaking to reporters at the DMCH, said, "It is not possible to carry out these attacks without connivance of some in the government."

He called for a countrywide agitation for Sunday in protest against Dipan’s killing.

The government, Sarker said, had failed to provide security to the people.

“No one is safe now. Earlier they were killing bloggers and now they are targeting secular publishers.”