Mayor Miru suspended after court accepts charges over Sirajganj journalist murder

Shahjadpur Municipality Mayor Halimul Haque Miru and a ward councillor were suspended six days after a court accepted charges over the murder of Daily Samakal correspondent Abdul Hakim Shimul.

Sirajganj Local Government Division Deputy Director Abu Nur Mohammad Shamsuzzaman confirmed the suspensions on Monday.

The suspended ward councillor is Abdur Razzak.

On Feb 2, Samakal’s Shahjadpur correspondent Shimul was shot while he was covering a clash between the mayor’s supporters and local activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League or BCL.

The bullet pierced his eye and he died the following day.

The fighting had started after the beating of Bijoy Mahmud, the president of Shahjadpur Government College BCL unit, allegedly by Miru’s brother ‘Pintu’.

Mayor Miru admitted to firing his gun but said it was in retaliation for shots fired by his rivals, who had laid siege to his house. But police later said only Miru's gun was fired during the clash.

Shimul’s wife Nurunnahar Begum had filed the murder case accusing 18 people, including Miru.

However, Police Inspector Monirul Islam of Shahjadpur, who is investigating the case, submitted the chargesheet in court naming 38 people on May 2.

The court took the charges into cognisance on June 13.