Key suspect killed in a 'shootout'
It was a curious case of chance encounter if we go by the police version.
Sharif, who according to law enforcers directly took part in the killing of blogger-writer Avijit Roy, had a bounty of Tk 5 lakh on his head.
Police claim a team of detectives conducted a raid at Meradia in the capital's Khilgaon early yesterday as they had information about Sharif's presence in the area.
During the raid, the team saw three people on a motorcycle speeding away. The detectives signalled the bike to pull over but the trio ignored and opened fire on them.
The cops fired back, leaving one of the three injured.
The two others fled away and police took the injured to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
It was only then that police found the dead was Sharif, the very man for whom detectives launched the drive early yesterday.
“We identified him through photographs released by police earlier,” said Abdul Baten, joint commissioner of Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
Sharif alias Saleh alias Arif topped a list of six Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) members. Police a month ago announced award for information leading to their arrest.
His killing came a day after another suspected militant, Golam Faizullah Fahim, died in a similar “gunfight” in Madaripur, sparking widespread criticism by right activists and social media users as the suspects might have had some vital information about recent secret killings.
Faizullah was on a 10-day remand when the “shootout” took place. Locals caught him and handed him over to the police when he was fleeing after hacking college teacher Ripon Chakraborty on June 14.
With Sharif and Faizullah, at least 20, including seven suspected militants, were killed in “shootouts” since police launched a special crackdown against militants after the murder of a top police officer's wife in Chittagong.
According to police, six out of the seven suspected militants were involved in the killing of Rajshahi University teacher Prof Rezaul Karim Siddiquee and attacks on Bogra Shia Mosque, Ahmadiyya mosque at Bagmara in Rajshahi and Kantaji Temple in Dinajpur.
WHO IS SHARIF?
“Sharif was among the men who directly took part in the Avijit killing. He hacked Avijit,” Abdul Baten said at a press briefing at the DMP media Centre.
”He was clearly identified by experts in the CCTV footage.”
On February 26, 2015, Avijit Roy was hacked to death and his wife Bonya Ahmed badly injured on Dhaka University campus after the couple came out of the Ekushey Boi Mela.
Prof Ajoy Roy, father of Avijit, came down hard on law enforcers for the killing of the murder suspect in the so-called shootout.
“It is unfortunate that the killers are being murdered in crossfire. The actual mystery behind the killings will not be unearthed if the killers are eliminated in the name of crossfire,” he said.
“Not only fundamentalists, but also some in the police administration might have wanted it [elimination of killers] because if the killers speak, many things will come to light,” he told The Daily Star.
He added “crossfire” is always condemnable and it is nothing but a way of covering up things.
Prof Ajoy, however, said he doesn't know whether Sharif was actually among the killers of Avijit and if he was identified properly.
Over the last three years, suspected militants have attacked and killed university professors, writers, publishers, secular bloggers, gay rights activists, foreigners, policemen and members of religious minorities, including Shia and Sufi Muslims, Christians and Hindus.
About 50 people have become victims of such targeted killings since February 2013.
Abdul Baten said Sharif was also involved in the killings of blogger Niladri Chattopadhyay Niloy, publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan inside his Jagriti Prokashani office in Shahbagh, Jagannath University student Nazim Uddin and LGBT activist Xulhaz Mannan and his friend Tonoy.
Sharif, who was from Satkhira, was a top organiser of ABT. He played a key role in recruiting ABT operatives, planning killings and coordinating many attacks, police also say.
Sometimes he took part in operations directly and sometimes remained in the backup team. According to the DMP website, Sharif used to train ABT men on firearms use and information technology.
Replying to a query from this correspondent whether police will face problems in probe as “suspected killers” are being killed in shootouts, Baten said, “If an accused remains in our custody and we get his or her confessional statement, it [the case] becomes strong.
“We don't think that the investigation will be hampered. We will be able to nab other accused and get statements from them.”
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