RU teacher Shafiul's death anniversary today

Today marks the 4th death anniversary of Prof AKM Shafiul Islam, a sociology teacher at Rajshahi University (RU).

Known as a progressive teacher and admirer of Lalon songs, Prof Shafiul, then 48 years of age, was murdered by unknown assailants on the day in 2014 when he was coming home on his motorbike in Choddopai area on the outskirts of Rajshahi city.

On November 30, 2015, while submitting charge sheet in the case, Inspector Rezaus Sadik of police's detective branch ruled out the claim of any militant outfit's involvement in the murder.

The inspector in the charge sheet accused Anwar Hossain Ujjal, a former convener of Rajshahi district unit of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, and ten others for the murder.

The other accused are Nasrin Akhter Reshma, an assistant section officer of RU; her husband and Jubo Dal activist Abdus Samad Pintu; former Katakhali municipal unit Jubo Dal organising secretary Ariful Islam Manik; Sirajul Islam Kalu; Mohammad Sabuj; Al Mamun; Mohammad Arif; Mohammad Sagor; Zinnat Ali; and Ibrahim Khalil alias “Tokai Babu”.

According to the charge sheet, Sabuj, Sagor, Arif, Zinnat and Ibrahim hacked Prof Shafiul to death upon receiving instructions from Ujjal and Manik.

The case is currently under trial at the speedy trial tribunal of Rajshahi and all the accused are out on bail.

Public Prosecutor Entajul Haque told The Daily Star that so far, the court recorded statements of more than 20 prosecution witnesses. “The trial of the case will end within a few months,” he added.