Jamaat-backed militants killed RU teacher: Police

Police have told court that they have information regarding involvement of Jamaat-e-Islami-backed militants with the killing of Rajshahi University teacher Prof AKM Shafiul Islam.

A Rajshahi court on Wednesday granted police two days to question 11 suspects detained over the murder.

Matihar police OC Alamgir Hossain, investigating the case, claimed they had information that Jamaat and its student front, Islami Chhatra Shibir, clandestinely ran militant activities under different names.

"We've got information that a Jamaat-controlled militant organisation was involved with Shafiul [Islam's] killing," he told the court.

Islam was hacked near the university campus Saturday. He succumbed to severe injuries to his vitals hours later.

His son claims Islamist militants are behind the murder.

Hours after the killing, a self-styled militant organisation 'Ansar al Islam Bangladesh-2' claimed responsibility on Facebook. But the law-enforcing agencies say they are not sure whether such militant outfit exists.

Those remanded on Wednesday are Humayun Kabir, principal of Jamaat-controlled Islamia Degree College, the college's teacher Fazlul Haq, Chouddopai locality's quack Mosharraf Hossain, Abdulla Al Mahamud, Moshiur Rahman, Hasibur Rahman, Jinnat Ali, 'Saifuddin', Rejaul Karim, 'Sagar', and 'Arif'.

Prosecution lawyer Sushanta Sarkar said the detainees were involved with Jamaat and police suspected them to be militants.

But defence counsel Ekramul Haq claimed although his clients were Jamaat supporters, they had no ties with Islam's murder.