Sanaullah had rivals within, beyond party
Unlike other politicians in Boraigram, Sanaullah Noor Babu took up a different approach to become popular. He was aggressive and always tried to remain in the limelight in different ways. Overconfident of not becoming the target of his political rivals, he aimed at becoming a lawmaker in the next election.
All these apparently led to his death.
Investigation reveals Babu was inviting troubles from within and outside the party. He was only 39 but never counted his party seniors, while Awami League did not like his over-enthusiasm in local politics.
Recently, he became very much vocal against drug peddling and the law and order slide in Boraigram.
He arranged the Friday's procession against the consent of his party colleagues and defying AL warning. Babu, chairman of Boraigram upazila and president of Bonpara municipality BNP, led the procession despite potential violence by his rivals.
Babu had good understanding with expelled AL leader Zakir Hossain Zakir and believed that nothing serious would occur. When the procession neared the AL men, Zakir warned him to leave, but Babu was determined to go, eyewitnesses said.
As the attackers were beating up his followers, Babu approached them and shouted, "Spare my men and beat me if you must."
Locals said Babu had helped Zakir when BNP cadres kidnapped his father Ainal Haq from their Bonpara house and tortured him to death in 2002. Boraigram BNP president Ekramul Alam and the then deputy minister Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu allegedly led the abductors.
The abductors also torched 40 houses and barred AL activists and the bereaved family members to attend freedom fighter Ainal's namaz-e-janaza. Ainal Haq was also the chairman of Majhgram union parishad.
Ainal's murder was committed hours after Bonpara municipality Swechchhasebok Dal president Alam was killed in Bonpara in which Zakir, the then information and research secretary of the Natore district AL, was allegedly involved.
Ekramul was furious at Babu for helping Zakir and not following his command, but Dulu's.
"Babu did cadre-based politics for Dulu without following my direction. Our feud was on this point," Ekramul told The Daily Star in his Bonpara house. He alleged that Babu used to announce programmes without consulting with him.
"Babu was hot-headed and should not have brought out the procession when the Awami League men were ready with sticks," Ekram said, adding, Babu organised the procession inviting Dulu as the chief guest.
Asked why Babu was killed, he said Babu was inviting AL men to hit him during the attack. He admitted that he and Dulu were the targets, not Babu. He said he did not attend the procession sensing the attack.
Dulu said he also requested Babu not to bring out the procession. "I was on the way to Bonpara to attend the programme. When I got the information that AL might attack, I asked him to stop. But Babu said nothing will happen," Dulu told The Daily Star.
About the feud between Ekram and Babu, he said this is usual in politics. He denied his involvement in Ainal murder but said he was killed as a sequel to Alam murder.
In the 2006 municipality election, Babu defeated party-nominated Ekramul and became an independent chairman. Locals say the two did not even look at each other for years.
Ekramul remained silence during the caretaker government. He hardly came out of house after BNP was defeated in the last parliamentary elections. But he came to Bonpara Bazar the next day Babu was killed.
Babu's wife Mohuya Noor Kochi can't believe that Zakir killed her husband. "Babu helped Zakir and others in various ways. Was this the return?" she asked, claiming her husband had no enemy as he helped people a lot.
Kochi believes her husband was killed due to his rising popularity. "His ultimate target was to become a lawmaker in the next election and he was working accordingly," she told The Daily Star.
Babu also used to surprise the people in Bonpara, the upazila headquarters situated on Dhaka-Rajshahi highway, through unusual activities.
Several months ago, he suddenly announced through loudspeakers in the bazaar that he had been receiving death threats in cellphone. He did it for several days but never informed the police.
In 1996, he formed "Lathi-Bashi Bahini" in Bonpara to protest against various activities of his rival Ekramul Alam including extortion and harassment. He stopped it as per instruction of Dulu, sources say.
Investigation reveals Babu had more enemies in his own party than in AL. But many leaders were jealous about his rising popularity in the public.
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