Assailants hack to death Christian-convert 1971 Bangladesh War veteran

A Christian-convert freedom fighter has been hacked to death in Kurhigram.

The murder of Hossain Ali, 68, in front of his house at Garhialparha on Tuesday morning, was carried out in a fashion similar to some recent ones.

Three motorcycle-borne youths took part in the attack when Ali was taking a morning walk, witnesses say.

The assailants took around five minutes to confirm his death and fled the scene by exploding hand bombs.

The killing is a chilling reminder of last year's murders of Japanese farmer Kunio Hoshi in Rangpur and policeman at a checkpost in Dhaka, deadly shooting at a Shia mosque in Bogra and this year's murder of a Hindu priest in Panchagarh.

Police have arrested three over the murder of Ali, but have not disclosed their identities.

They are checking whether the motive for the murder was his conversion or feud over ownership of land.

Witnesses said the three assailants pulled over their motorcycle beside Ali at around 7am.

Two of them shouting 'Allahu Akbar' hit Ali's throat with sharp weapons, they said. 

Ali fell to the ground with his throat slit. The attackers fled after confirming his death, witnesses Abdar Hossain and 'Nayan' said.

Another witness 'Faruq', a security guard at a house, said the assailants hurled a bomb at another witness, a teacher of a coaching centre.

They hurled two other bombs and brought out two big knives to make way through some students, who tried to stop them at the Collegeparha neighbourhood, Faruq said.

The last two bombs did not explode.

Kurhigram Superintendent of Police Tabarak Ullah said police had informed the Army in Rangpur. "An expert team will come and neutralise the bombs," he said.

National Freedom Fighters' Council Kurhigram unit Commander Sirajul Islam Tuku said Ali retired as an inspector of Directorate General of Family Planning last year.

Reverend Forkan Al Mosih said Ali converted to Christianity in 1999 and recently started working as his assistant.

Ali's son Ruhul Amin Azad said he, his mother, and younger sister accepted Ali as a Christian, but his elder sister did not. 

He said the family has disputes with neighbours over ownership of land.

He also said a person, identifying himself as Abul Bashir, 25, rented some rooms at their house in the first week of March.

"He left on Saturday saying he would bring his family today (Tuesday). But now we've found he had provided a wrong mobile-phone number and a fake national ID card," Azad said.

Bashir told the family he hailed from Rangpur's Mahiganj and worked in Nexus Pharmaceuticals.

A meeting of the district's law and order committee at the deputy commissioner's office on Tuesday decided to get police gather information about tenants in the town.

It also decided to strengthen the search for motorcycles.

Sadar Police Station Inspector Mohammad Ruhani said the family was preparing to start a case.

Referring to the first inquest report, he said Ali died from wounds in the neck.

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