Former JU VC Anwar Hossain attacked near Dhaka airport, family alleges right-wing involvement

Former Jahangirnagar University Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Anwar Hossain was attacked on the day of the Awami League government's fall, his family say.

Prof Anwar was brutally attacked by "some right-wing fanatics" near Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport after 4pm on Monday, Aug 5, his wife Ayesha Hossain said in a media statement on Friday.

In the wake of the incident, the family have sought protection from the interim government.

“When we arrived exactly in front of the Airport, an unknown person who appeared to be in his early 40s suddenly approached my husband and began to shout: ‘I recognise you. You’re the Professor who was against Jamaat [Jamaat-e-Islami] at the Tribunal [International Crimes Tribunal]. We saw you on the television’,” according to the statement.

“The same person tried forcefully taking my husband down a narrow lane opposite the Airport. My family members and I strongly resisted this. Almost instantly, several more agitated people (three to four) gathered around my husband. They started chanting ‘Naara-e-Takbeer’. One of them said, “You spoke against Jamaat. We’re going to slit your throat.” The agitated individuals unleashed a vicious attack on my husband with various objects. One of them said: ‘Hit him on his head. Kill him’.”

Family members attempted to protect Anwar from the attackers, and two other individuals intervened to stop the assault.

He was then taken into the safety of a military barricade at the airport, where he received initial medical treatment.