Ex-BCL chief escapes bid to kill him
A central leader of the ruling Awami League was shot by unidentified gunmen at Dhanmondi in the capital yesterday.
AKM Enamul Hoque Shameem, also former president of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), has been undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit of Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka with two bullet wounds in his left hand.
Shameem is the founder and president of Board of Trustees of Stamford University and vice-chairman of Port City International University in Chittagong.
Shameem was going to his Stamford University office from his Dhanmondi Road 9/A residence in his car around 9:30am. He was sitting beside the driver's seat and his uncle Nasir Ahmed was in the rear.
When the car slowed down for taking a U-turn in front of Ibn Sina Diagnostic and Imaging Centre, three men came in a motorcycle and opened fire on him, according to the car's driver Kamal Hossain.
Shameem ducked between the dashboard and his seat immediately. However, two bullets pierced through his left hand, Nasir told The Daily Star.
The gunmen then sped away in the motorcycle. Neither the driver nor Nasir could identify the criminals though they had no helmets on.
Shameem was rushed to Bangladesh Medical College and Hospital and later shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
He was taken to the CMH around 3:00pm for better treatment, said Ibrahim Khalil, assistant professor of DMCH.
While visiting the spot, this correspondent found some CCTV cameras in front of the Ibn Sina building.
"The camera footages show that three persons on a motorcycle were passing through the spot during the incident. However, the footage is blurred," said a police official of Ramna Division.
Police were working to identify the criminals based on the footages, he said.
Victim's father Abul Hashem said his son had no personal enmity but he might have political rivalries.
One of the close aides of Shameem told The Daily Star that local politics of his constituency, Shariatpur-2 (Sakhipur-Naria), might be the main reason behind the shooting.
Shameem had disputes with an influential AL leader of Shariatpur who might have masterminded the shooting, said the source, requesting anonymity.
A mid-ranking Jubo League leader might also be involved in it, he added.
State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Benazir Ahmed visited Shameem at the DMCH.
Shameem served as BCL president between 1994 and 1998. He also led the Jahangirnagar University (JU) unit of the BCL and was the vice-president of JU Central Students' Union between 1989 and 1991.
Meanwhile, JU unit BCL yesterday blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway for about an hour protesting the attack and demanding immediate arrest of the attackers.
Demonstrations were also held in Dhaka University and different areas of the capital and in Shariatpur in protest at the attack.
No case was filed till this report came in at 9:00 last night.
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