SP’s wife murder suspect Nasur is a victim of a Hathazari shrine-related conflict, claims a group

A claim has been made that Abu Nasur Gunnu, the suspect arrested in connection with the murder of SP Babul Aktar’s wife, is a victim of a conflict over establishing dominance at a shrine in Chittagong’s Hathazari Upazila.

The shrine in question is Darbar-e Musabiya Entejamia, situated in Farhadabad under the Upazila.

The claim of the man’s innocence was made at a media call at Chittagong Press Club on Thursday afternoon by members from one side of the shrine founder’s family.

Nasur is the general secretary of a faction of the shrine’s managing committee. Police arrested him on Wednesday from there.

A Chittagong court Thursday morning sent Nasur, who police have said is a former Islami Chhatra Shibir activist, to jail. It will hear on Sunday the police plea to take him into custody for questioning.

A dispute has been raging for the past three decades between the two daughters – Shamsunnur Monira Siddiqua and Hamidunnesa - of the shrine’s founder Shaikh Musa Ahmadul Haque Siddiqui Shah over control of the establishment.

Following clashes between the followers of the two daughters in September last year, through which Monira asserted control, a police camp was set up at the shrine to maintain security.

The arrested Abu Nasur is a follower of Monira. He has been involved with the shrine managing committee of the Monira-led faction since 2013.

Monira’s daughter Khairun Nur Siddiqua at the press briefing claimed her aunt Hamidunnesa’s supporters had paid off police to arrest and implicate Nasur in the case filed over the murder of SP Babul’s wife Mahmuda Aktar Mitu.

“I’ve heard that they paid Tk 3 million to the police to have Nasur killed in a crossfire. If Hathazari police officials were not there, he would’ve been dead by now,” Khairun claimed.

Hathazari police OC Md Ismail told bdnews24.com that everyone in the locality knew about the conflict over the shrine.

Regarding Nasur’s arrest, he said, “DB officials did take me along with them during the raid on Tuesday night. But it was their raid. Not my problem.”

Khairun Nur said, “We are also sad about what happened to Babul Aktar’s wife. But implicating an innocent person in the crime is wrong.”

She urged the prime minister and the home minister to intervene to stop ‘arrests of innocent people’.

She claimed at least 50 police officials had come to the shrine around 1am Wednesday. They did not tell anyone anything and left with Nasur.

She said Nasur was in the shrine, 15-16 kilometres from the crime scene, when Babul Aktar’s wife was being murdered at the port city’s OR Nizam Road on Jun 5 morning.

“I can give 100 percent guarantee that that Nasur didn’t come to the city in the past one week. You (police) can track his mobile phone record to verify this fact.”

She said Ansar and police personnel at the shrine’s camp would also be able to vouchsafe for Nasur’s presence at the shrine at the time of the murder.

After arresting Nasur, CMP’s Additional Commissioner Debdas Bhattacharya had said that he was a former member of Shibir, the Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing.

“Nasur later got involved in terrorist activities. He has been working at a shrine in Hathazari to stay undetected below since he returned from abroad after many years spent there.”

Regarding such police statements, Khairun Nur said Nasur had never been involved with either the Jamaat or the Shibir. His elder brother is a freedom fighter, she claimed.

She claimed her aunt’s followers had filed 10 cases at different police stations around the city against Nasur to get back at him for helping Shamsunnur Monira take control of the shrine.

“Hathazari police informed Nasur about these cases on Jun 4. PBI has been given charge to investigate these cases.”

OC Ismail said the rivals had indeed lodged several cases against Nasur over the conflict centering around the shrine.

Nasur’s lawyer HS Abul Hasan told bdnews24.com that implicating his client in the Mahmuda Aktar Mitu murder case had struck Nasur’s family as a total surprise.