Muhammad Yunus, 63, professor of economics and a former registrar of the university, was attacked and killed at about 6:10am some 150 yards from his house while he was taking his regular morning walk, police and witnesses said. He had gone out of the house at 5:30am.

A prominent left-leaning teacher, Yunus was president of RU Bangabandhu Parishad and senior vice-president of Bangladesh Economic Association.

The murder was pre-planned, said police investigators, colleagues and relatives.

They suspect the killers may have links to the student wing of the ruling coalition partner Jamaat-e-Islam, as the front-line pro-Liberation War teacher was attacked once in the past, on November 30, 1995, by Islami Chhatra Shibir cadres in front of RU Shaheed Minar.

Motihar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Akram Hossain said the killing was deliberate and done by professionals. He said a man informed them of the incident at 7:00am but did not disclose his identity.

Protesting the killing, students barricaded the Rajshahi-Dhaka highway for three hours from 10:00am and staged a demonstration putting tyres on fire.

A number of political, student and teachers' organisations announced agitation programmes including hartal, strike and work abstention demanding prompt and proper investigation into the murder.

The victim's son Rashed Zaman Shovon, a part-time teacher at the music and dramatics department, told reporters, "I doubt whether we will get justice."

THE KILLING
Neighbours found the elderly academician's body lying in a pool of blood beside a road, 25 yards off the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway, at about quarter past six in the morning, police sources said.

There were four stab injuries to the body -- one in the head, two in the chest and one in the lower abdomen. His head also bore several wounds from hammer blows.

The victim was wearing warm clothes, a cap, hand-gloves and a gamchha (local cotton towel) around his neck.

Neighbours guess the murder must have been committed quickly and efficiently, taking not more than 10 minutes, after which the killers dragged his body to the roadside and left the scene.

"Even at six o'clock, I did not see anything untoward at the place," said Abdul Mannan, who lives nearby.

PUBLIC OUTCRY
As the news spread, people including neighbours, teachers, politicians, journalists and students rushed to the victim's house.

Rajshahi Mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu, RU Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Faisul Islam Faruki, Islamic University VC Prof Rafiqul Islam, senior RU teachers and police officials visited the scene.

Enraged, several hundred RU students blocked the Rajshahi-Dhaka highway felling trees on the road in front of RU main gate at 10:00am.

They staged a sit-in on the highway and set fire to tyres, chanting slogans against the RU VC and management for their failure to ensure security to teachers and students.

The demonstrating students scuffled with police at noon when the latter tried to remove the trees from the highway.

The barricade was withdrawn at 1:00pm to make way for Yunus' burial procession.

BURIAL
Hundreds of people joined his first namaz-e-janaza at Shaheb Bazar Zero Point in the late afternoon. Another namaz was held at RU mosque. He was laid to rest in RU Graveyard after the evening prayers.

PROTEST PROGRAMMES
Rajshahi Awami League called a dawn to dusk hartal in the district on December 30 in protest against the killing.

Progressive Students' Alliance will enforce strike on December 27 and Bangladesh Chhatra League on December 28 on the RU campus.

Rajshahi University Teachers' Association (Ruta) in an urgent meeting yesterday afternoon adopted a work abstention programme from December 26 to 31.

"We will go for tougher movement if the authorities fail to identify the killers by December 31," said Ruta President Prof Khalekuzzaman.

REACTIONS
Rajshahi units of Awami League and Workers Party condoled the murder and blamed Jamaat-Shibir and pro-government elements for it.

Islamic University VC Rafiqul Islam said a man like Yunus could not have any personal enemy, while RU Progressive Teachers' Association leader Prof Entajul Haque said he had no enemy except political ones.

A number of socio-cultural organisations including Muktijuddho Library, Sammilito Sangskritik Jote and Gono Sanghati Andolon also condemned the killing.

President of Rajshahi Liberation War Library Sayed Shafiqul Alam said, "It's the work of the [Islamic] fundamentalists. If the case is not properly investigated, they will be encouraged more to act against the spirit of Liberation War."

Senior Jamaat leaders in the city were not available for their comments. But RU Shibir President Rezaul Karim denied any involvement in the killing. He said Jamaat and Shibir also condemn the murder and demonstrated on the campus demanding justice.

PROFILE OF YUNUS
Yunus was born in 1941 in Rangpur.

He had a brilliant academic record. He stood second in matriculation examinations in 1956, preceded by Wazed Mia, husband of Opposition Leader Sheikh Hasina. But, Yunus managed to bag the first place in higher secondary school certificate exams in 1958.

He joined the RU as a lecturer of economics in 1963 and was made a professor in 1997.

During the Liberation War, the economist served at the planning commission of the interim government of Bangladesh.

He was elected a member of the RU syndicate twice and worked as students' adviser and proctor in early '90s. He also held the chair of economics department and been elected to the senate and the finance committee of the varsity.

Yunus was registrar of the university for three years since 1997. He served as Ruta general secretary in 1987 and president in 1996.

His wife Rehana Khatun and son Rashed live in Rajshahi, while his daughter Sara Khatun, a lawyer, lives in Dhaka with her husband.