Jubo Dal leader among 11 charged

Eleven people including a Jubo Dal leader have been charged with the killing of Rajshahi University's sociology professor AKM Shafiul Islam.

The charge sheet was submitted to Rajshahi Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court on November 30, police told The Daily Star yesterday.

Unknown people hacked Prof Shafiul, 48, known as a progressive-minded teacher, to death in front of his house in Choddopai area, outside Rajshahi city, on November 15 last year.

The accused include Convener of Rajshahi district unit of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal Anwar Hossain Uzzal, RU assistant section officer Nasrin Akhter Reshma, her husband and Jubo Dal activist Abdus Samad Pintu, Convener of Jubo Dal's Katakhali upazila unit Ariful Islam alias Manik, and Manik's associates Sabuj Sheikh, Sirajul Islam alias Kalu, Al Mamun, and Ibrahim Khalil alias “Tokai” Babu.

All of them were arrested. The remaining three Sagar, Jinnat, and Arif Hossain, also associates of Manik, are on the run.

Initially it was suspected that fundamentalists killed the professor after a so-called militant outfit, Ansar-Al-Islam Bangladesh-2, claimed responsibility for the murder on its Facebook wall.

However, investigation officer of the case, Rezaus Sadik, said they did not find any militant link; the murder ensued from an altercation between the professor and Reshma, the university staff.

Seven days after her arrest, Reshma confessed in court to her involvement in the killing, while Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), after arresting Reshma's husband Pintu and five others, claimed that they hacked the professor to death centring on his quarrel with the woman.

However, the five denied the murder allegations in court two days later.

The IO said the militant outfit claimed responsibility for the murder to distract law enforcers.