Janajuddho killed 3 journos in southwest

Outlawed Purba Banglar Communist Party (Janajuddho) murdered journalists Manik Chandra Saha, Humayun Kabir Balu and Mir Elias Hossain Dilip, confessed Golam Hossain Akash, detained brother of recently killed chief of the armed outfit Abdur Rashid Malitha alias Dada Tapan.
The journalists were slain in retribution for reporting to their newspapers an incident that took place in January 2002 in Khulna when Akash and his accomplices snatched Dada Tapan away from police custody while he was being produced before a court.
Manik was a reporter of the English daily New Age, Dilip was the editor of Jhenidah based Bangla daily Bir Darpan, and Balu was the editor of Khulna based vernacular daily the Janmabhumi also a former president of Khulna Press Club.
On the second day of an eight-day remand, Akash disclosed the information to Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) personnel and said they snatched Tapan away by throwing bombs. Akash himself led the operation while seven other cadres including Ripon, Suman, Babu, Sahadat and Khairul took part in it.
Akash, who was arrested by Rab on June 19 from his house in Udibari of Kushtia, said he has been the party's second-in-command since the death of its erstwhile chief Mofakkhar Chowdhury in December, 2004.
He said Dada Tapan made him the second-in-command not only because he was Tapan's younger brother, but also because he was very faithful to him.
Commander SMAK Azad, director of the Legal and Media Wing of Rab, told The Daily Star, "Akash has started providing information about their arms, ammunition and cadres with details of party activities."
"We have been verifying the information he provided," Azad added.
Rab sources said Akash also disclosed that they developed a stockpile of arms and ammunition by purchasing five AK-47 rifles from a Cox's Bazar arms dealer named Emran, and by looting police weapons.
Akash also confessed that they managed the money for purchasing arms and ammunition by collecting monthly fees from party activists and from various other sources.
Akash gave a detail of his outlaw life to Rab intelligence saying he joined the banned party in 1998 through his elder brother Tapan.
For carrying out party activities, Akash bought a tin-shed house on a five katha land where the erstwhile top leaders Mofakkhar Chowdhury, Madhu Babu and Dr Tutul often used to go.
After the death of Mofakkhar in a Rab 'crossfire' in December 2004, Dada Tapan became the party chief and Akash the second-in-command.
In addition to confessing that they killed the four journalists, Akash also confessed that they killed Nur Ali Chairman of Chuwadanga, the younger brother of Satkhira lawmaker Mashiur Rahman, and also another individual named Shakil Hossain.
During the interrogation, Akash elaborated on the activities of Dada Tapan after he was snatched away from police.
Akash also said Dada Tapan and his wife resided in the capital's Uttara, Shewrapara and Kazipara areas from where he used to lead party activities by collecting money from party activists and by extorting businessmen.
Akash was brought to Dhaka for interrogation from Kushtia on Tuesday.
Dada Tapan was killed in a 'shootout' between Rab and him on June 19 in Kushtia.