'Conflict' between Nazrul, Nur Hossain led to seven murders: RAB

A conflict of interest between Narayanganj City councillors Nazrul Islam and Nur Hossain had led to the abduction and murder of seven men, says a RAB probe report.

It was Nur Hossain's plan to eliminate Nazrul to end the conflict, says the report submitted to a High Court bench by Attorney General Mahbubey Alam on Wednesday.

The report accuses three – Tarek Sayeed Mohammad, Arif Hossain and MM Rana - who were with RAB at the time of the crime.

The armed forced made them to resign after they were implicated in the crime.

The report claims that the conflict between Nazrul Islam and Nur Hossain, two ward-level leaders belonging to the same political camp, was the reason behind the abductions and the killings.

Nazrul

Nur Hossain

“The two leaders had been at loggerheads over business interests, local influence, and position despite belonging to the same political stream.

“They had often fought court battles against each other in their individual and organisational capacities,” the report says.

Nazrul, a former Chhatra League leader, was the councillor of Narayanganj’s Ward No. 2.

His wife Selina Islam Beauty had told the police about the rivalry between the two men after Nazrul along with six others were abducted from two cars on Feb 27.

She claimed Nazrul had been killed for having opposed many of Nur’s illegal activities.

The RAB report says the supporters of Nazrul and Nur had clashed on Feb 1 over an eviction drive.

Nur had filed a case against Nazrul in connection with the violence. But the latter had managed to get bail and was on his way to Dhaka when his car was stopped on Link Road leading to his abduction along with four others.

“Nur had repeatedly threatened to kill Nazrul or harm him in other ways, forcing him to leave the area and live in Dhaka,” says the report.

On Feb 27, lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarkar and his driver were also abducted from Link Road.

The report says they had been picked up because they were witness to the abduction of Nazrul and the other four men.

Three days later, the bodies of all seven men including those of Nazrul and Chandan surfaced in the Shitalakhyya River.

Nazrul’s father-in-law Shahidul Islam alleged that Nur had organised the killings by bribing RAB officials, an accusation that kicked up a countrywide storm.

The sensational charge led to the arrest of RAB-11 Commander former Major Tarek Sayeed Mohammad, former Major Arif, and former navy Lt Commander Rana under court orders.

The RAB report says Nur was on the lookout for administrative people and the RAB officers probably got involved in the crime as a result.

“Nur Hossain was looking for help from administrative people to execute his threat. It is evident that he managed to get RAB-11 CPSC company commander Major Arif Hossain and, subsequently, RAB-11 Commander Tarek Sayeed Mohammad as his accomplices,” the report says.

Nur fled to India after the murders but was arrested, and is currently lodged in an Indian jail.

The Bangladesh government says it is negotiating his extradition.

Selina Islam Beauty has been elected a councillor of the Narayanganj City Corporation from the Ward No. 2, the seat that had fallen vacant after her husband’s murder.