Two local Awami League (AL) leaders were the masterminds behind the murder of Feni’s Phulgazi Upazila Chairman Ekramul Haque, claims RAB.
Published : 24 May 2014, 09:11 PM
The force’s spokesperson ATM Habibur Rahman said on Saturday that they suspected internal feud and turf war led to the killing.
Eight persons, including seven suspected professional killers, who have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing, were produced before press at the RAB headquarters in Dhaka.
Those arrested include the prime suspect Abidul Islam Abid, who happens to be a cousin of Feni-2 MP Nizam Uddin Hazari.
According to RAB, the detainees have divulged names of two local Awami League leaders, who planned the murder.
They are Phulgazi Upazila AL unit’s Joint Secretary Jihad Chowdhury and Feni Municipality’s Councillor Abdullahil Mohammad Shiblu.
Shiblu is the Councillor of the Academy area of Feni town, where the Upazila chairman was murdered while Jihad lives in that area.
Jihad has been absconding since the murder while Shiblu surrendered to the police on Saturday.
Chairman Haque was killed by a group of assailants on May 20 in Feni town.
The miscreants hurled hand-made bombs and opened fire on him before setting his SUV on fire.
The eight, who have been nabbed, including Abid, are all in their twenties.
The seven others arrested have been identified as Kazi Sanan Mahmud, Zahidul Hasan Saikat, Md Zihad, Shajalal Uddin Sipon, Chowdhury Md Nafiz Uddin Onik, Sajjadul Islam Patwary and Md Helal Udin.
RAB says Abid and six others, barring Helal, had carried out the murder.
Helal had sheltered the killers, claimed RAB.
Saikat was arrested from Feni, while the other seven were detained from Helal’s home in Dhaka’s Bashundhara Residential Area.
Though the slain Upazila chairman’s brother has named local BNP leader Mahtab Minar as the prime accused, a faction of Feni AL pointed fingers at the Feni Sadar MP Nizam Uddin Hazari.
Hazari, however, claims that former Feni MP Zaynal Abedin Hazari and the local BNP were behind the killing.
According to local AL leaders, Chairman Haque and Phulgazi Upazila AL unit’s Joint Secretary Jihad Chowdhury had a feud over the expulsion of the latter from the party.
The decision, which was taken at the behest of Haque— also the president of Phulgazi Upazila AL— was withdrawn later.
“We do not know who’s affiliated with whom. Those who are involved in the murder are criminals. This is their only identity as far as RAB is concerned,” the force’s spokesperson told the press while referring to (Jihad) Chowdhury’s political affiliation.
About Councillor Shiblu, he said: “Shiblu had informed Abid and others that Ekram’s (Haque) car had entered the Academy area. This is all we know about him for the time being.”
Chowdhury supplied the arms
At least 40-50 people took part in the killing in broad daylight at a busy Feni street, RAB say.
RAB spokesperson Rahman added that it was (Jihad) Chowdhury, who supplied the firearms.
“Later (after the killing), the assailants returned the pistols to Jihad. This is what the seven told us during interrogation,” he said.
On May 20, Haque was on his way to Phulgazi from his Masterparha house in the town. He was accompanied by former Phulgazi Union Parishad Chairman Shambu and executive editor of a local daily ‘Feni Protidin’ Muhib Ullah Farhad.
The assailants waylaid Haque's car with a van and exploded several handmade bombs to create panic before opening fire on Haque.
The miscreants dragged Shambu, Farhad and the driver out of the car and stabbed them.
Then they set fire to the car and fled the scene.
Abid, who was arrested with seven others, told during Saturday’s press briefing that they had gathered around the crime scene on the day around 8am.
“A local man named ‘Ruti Sohel’ came to us with three pistols; he gave two of them to me and Sanan and kept the other with him. Ruti Sohel told us to open fire if anyone comes in.”
Abid also said that (Jihad) Chowdhury had told him a day before the incident: ‘Ekram (Haque) will kill me, if he’s not eliminated’.
“On the day, Ruti Sohel told me, ‘Jihad bhai had said that, we would initiate a quarrel with the men in Ekram chairman’s car and break the glass. We’ll attack if they attack’,” said Abid.
Providing the details of the attack, he said: “Ekram’s car came in front of the Academy around 11 am. Some of us including Ruti Sohel, Manik and myself blocked the car with an easy-bike.
“At least 40-50 people, who already had taken position in the area, started to throw brickbats and hacked the car with machetes. Sanan and I fired blank shots while Ruti Sohel fired at the car.”
He claimed that two persons named Papan and Nayan, along with some of their friends, set fire to the car.
RAB is looking for the people, including Ruti Sohel, whose name Abid has divulged, said the force’s spokesperson ATM Habibur Rahman at the media briefing.
“Jihad Chowdhury explained the plan to Abid, Ruti Sohel and some others at the town’s Salam Gymnasium on the night before the murder.
“For that, he gave five pistols to Abid, Sanan, Shifat, Sunny and Shaikat. Jihad Chowdhury instructed them to go on hiding after the killing,” said Rahman.
The law-enforcers are yet to recover any of the weapons used in the murder.