JCD intra-party feud behind Raju murder

Foyzul Haque Raju. Photo: Collected

Feud over newly formed committees of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal's (JCD) district and city units was behind the murder of its former leader Foyzul Haque Raju.

Insiders said the feud started after the JCD central committee declared the units on June 13 that led to Saturday night's murder.

The sources claimed present committee members attacked Raju and two others during celebration of the victory of newly elected Sylhet City Corporation Mayor Ariful Haque Choudhury.

The assailants attacked them with sharp weapons and shot them when they were returning home from the celebration, witnesses said.

Raju died at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital the same night. Injured Jakir Hossain Ujjal and Salah Liton are receiving treatment at the hospital.

His body was handed over to his family after autopsy yesterday and would be buried at his village home, Mosarraf Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police, said, adding that no case was filed as of last night.

Raju, 32, was former assistant publicity secretary of Sylhet city unit JCD. He hailed from Shahpur of Rajnagar upazila in Moulvibazar.

The central committee of JCD on June 13 formed a 28-member district committee and 29-member city committee for Sylhet.

Aftaf Hossain Sumon was declared the president and Delwar Hossain Dinar the general secretary of the district unit. For the city unit, Sudeep Jyoti Esh was declared the president and Fazle Rabbi Ahsan the general secretary.

However, eight leaders of the newly formed committees resigned the next day and demanded dissolution of the new committees. They claimed that those were the pocket committees of Khandakar Muktadir, adviser of the BNP chairperson.

The central leaders of BNP requested the agitated leaders to calm down until the city polls saying they would review the committees after the election.

Shakil Ahmed of city unit alleged that it was a planned murder to stop all the agitated leaders as the central leaders were supposed to review the committees.

He further alleged that JCD central unit member Abdur Rakib Chowdhury and present district unit secretary Delwar Hossain Dinar along with some other leaders launched the attack to kill Raju.

Raju was stabbed around 20 times and shot four times. He died of excessive bleeding, doctors said.

The mobile phones of Rakib and Dinar were found switched off during several attempts to contact them.

Nasim Hossain, president of city unit BNP, said the murder was the result of feud created over the newly formed committees, which should be dissolved.

Newly elected Mayor and member of BNP central committee Ariful Haque Choudhury yesterday visited the injured and saw Raju's body at the hospital.

During the visit, Ariful said, “The murder was planned to question my victory and I demand justice.”

He along with other JCD leaders at the hospital also demanded that the new committees should be dissolved.