Suspect arrested over Sholakia attack is also accused of killing Panchagarh priest: Police

One of the two suspects arrested following last week’s attack on a police check post at Kishoreganj’s Sholakia is the same person accused in the murder of a Hindu priest at Debiganj in Panchagarh, police say.

Debiganj police Inspector Ayub Ali said Shafiul Islam had been named as a ‘JMB operative’ and the No. 10 accused in the chargesheet filed at a Panchagarh court on Jun 28.

Shafiul also goes by the aliases Shariful Islam, Saiful Islam, Abu Mokaddel, ‘Don’ and ‘Sohan’, according to Kishoreganj and Debiganj police officials.

On the Eid-ul-Fitr morning, Jun 7, a police check-post near the Sholakia Eidgah ground, which hosts the country’s largest Eid congregation, came under a terrorist attack. Four people, including two policemen, were killed in bomb blasts and a firefight.

RAB personnel had detained Shafiul with a bullet wound and a gun right after the attack. He is currently undergoing treatment at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital under RAB custody.

Now, police say, they are able to confirm that Shafiul was one of the three motorcycle-riding assailants who slit the throat of priest Jagneshwar Roy, 50, after hacking him with sharp weapons in the early hours of Feb 21.

Roy headed the Santo Gaurio temple at Panchagarh’s Debiganj.

According to witness accounts, three men, armed with sharp weapons and firearms, had killed Roy. The assailants opened fire and hurled bombs while fleeing on the motorcycle.

Debiganj police Inspector Ayub Ali on Monday said several unidentified persons were first accused in the case lodged over the killing. But, later, they learnt of the involvement of some JMB operatives, including Shafiul, from the statements of several suspects.

“Shafiul is the 10th accused in the chargesheet filed in the case. He was identified as Md Shafiul Islam alias Don alias Sohan, 20; son of Abdul Hye. He hails from Hatshyamganj’s Dakkhin Debipur village at Dinajpur’s Ghorhaghat Upazila.”

Ali said six, including Shafiul, were shown as fugitives in the chargesheet and four arrested. “All of them are active members of banned militant outfit JMB.”

Panchagarh court’s Public Prosecutor Aminur Rahman said the court had taken cognisance of the chargesheet and sent it to the District and Sessions Judge Court for trial.

“But the case proceedings haven’t started as some formalities are yet to be taken care of,” he added.

According to the chargesheet, Shafiul was accompanied by ‘Nazrul’ alias ‘Hasan’ and Rajibul Islam Molla alias ‘Badal’ alias ‘Badhan’ when murdering priest Roy.

It said Nazrul waited with their motorcycle outside the temple, while the other two went inside. Rajibul had hacked Roy with a machete and then nearly decapitated his head.

He and Shafiul also opened fire and blasted bombs while fleeing the scene, the chargesheet read.

Inspector Ali said Shafiul was also accused and named in the chargesheet of another case filed under the arms and explosives acts over Roy’s murder.

After he was arrested following the attack at Sholakia on Thursday, RAB-14’s Major Saiful Sajjad had told reporters that Shafiul was a student at Bijul Darul Huda Kamil Madrasa at Dinajpur’s Birampur.

“He was sitting the Alim tests but did not finish. Instead, he came to Kishoreganj on orders from his chieftain to accomplish an assignment.”

Sajjad said Shafiul was detained in a bloodied state, but he was visibly ‘unruffled’ by his wounds and the consequences he would face.

“I’ve spoken to him. He had no fear. He was hit by a bullet but showed no indication of being in pain. It means he has been brainwashed so much that he thinks this is jihad on the path of Islam, though Islam actually doesn’t allow this,” the RAB official said.

On Sunday, Shafiul and another Sholakia attack suspect named Jahidul Haque alias ‘Tanim’, 24, were accused in an anti-terrorism case along with several unidentified persons lodged at Kishoreganj Model Police Station.

Pakundia police Inspector Mohammad Shamsudin, who was in-charge of the check-post that came under attack, filed the case.