2 Shibir men 'confess' their involvement

Two Shibir leaders yesterday confessed to their involvement in the killings of a Hindu priest and a Shia preacher in Jhenidah, claim police.

Judge Begum Fahmida Jahangir of the district's additional chief judicial magistrate's court and Kaliganj Cognisance Court Senior Judicial Magistrate Alamgir Kabir recorded their confessional statements under section 164, said Jhenidah police.

The two Shibir leaders are Sabuj Khan, 21, of Haripur village in Sadar upazila, and Shahin Alam, 23, of Phulhari village in Shailakupa upazila.

Sabuj is the general secretary of Bakulia village Shibir unit under Kaliganj upazila and Shahin Alam is the president of Jhenidah district southern part unit Shibir, said Altaf Hossain, superintendent of police in Jhenaidah.

At a press conference, the SP said the arrestees confessed that they had killed Sree Sree Radhamadan Bigraha temple priest Shyamananda Das and Shia preacher Abdur Razzak.

Police arrested Sabuj from Haripur village on Saturday morning and Shahin early yesterday from Sheikhpara Bazar area, he added.

Assailants riding on a motorbike came and hacked the sixty-two-year-old Shyamananda Das while he was plucking flowers for religious services on July 1 morning.

That time global terror outfit Islamic State (IS) claimed credit for the murder, according to SITE Intelligence group that monitors terror activities.

On February 14, unidentified criminals hacked Abdur Razzak, 48, a Shia homeopathy doctor, to death in Kaliganj upazila.

Razzak used to give religious sermons to some 20 followers at his pharmacy on Ganna Road in Kaliganj municipality.