Murder in Sylhet: 25 stabs in no time

Five persons on three motorcycles staged an accident on a busy road to kill BNP leader AFM Kamal around 9:30pm on Sunday in Sylhet's Barabazar area.

When Kamal, a former health affairs secretary of Sylhet district BNP, took Barabazar Road from Chowkidekhi driving his car, he was being followed by three persons on two motorcycles.

A few hundred yards down the road, his car was blocked by another motorcycle carrying two persons. They picked a fight claiming the car had hit their motorcycle.

Hearing the commotion, people gathered considering this a road accident. It took them a while to realise that the person on the driving seat was stabbed brutally during the chaos.

Rushed to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, Kamal was declared dead. The autopsy found 25 deep and shallow stab wounds on the left side of the body.

This is how police described the murder, analysing CCTV footage and quizzing witnesses.

Officers said there was no CCTV camera within a 100-yard radius of the murder spot. They analysed footage of two CCTV cameras -- one at the entry to the Barabazar Road and another inside a nearby lane.

Azbahar Ali Sheikh, deputy commissioner (north) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, said, "The attackers staged a drama of accident and the people who gathered there could not instantly understand that a murder had taken place."

He added, "We are trying to find the attackers after confirming their identities through CCTV footage collected from nearby places."

After the autopsy yesterday morning, Kamal was laid to rest at his home village of Alinagar in Sylhet Sadar upazila's Jalalabad union in the evening.

No case was filed and no one arrested in connection with the murder as of 8:00pm yesterday.

Kamal, a resident of Sylhet city's Subidbazar, was a travel and recruiting agent.

His brother Moynul Haque said, "My brother had long been involved in BNP politics and was a businessman. As far as we know, he had no personal animosity with anyone, but still, he was murdered. His two children are in distress and we want justice."

Police suspect that not politics but his rivalry with a certain group of people over some business issues could be the reason.

The BNP, on the other hand, claims the murderers are linked to BCL. But they said this is not a political murder and the assailants should not be sheltered by the ruling party.

According to police, Kamal and his associates were locked into an altercation with a person named Azizur Rahman Samrat, a resident of Shuvechchha residential area, over visa processing for Azizur's relative on October 15.

Later on October 21, Azizur filed a case with Kotwali Police Station, accusing 10 persons including Kamal. The case mentioned that the accused attacked him, snatched his money and intimidated him.

"We are primarily suspecting that the killing was a consequence of the altercation … . Once we arrest the attackers, the motive will be clearly known, "  said DC Azbahar.

The Daily Star tried to reach Azizur but his mobile phone was found switched off.

Advocate Emran Ahmed, general secretary of Sylhet district BNP, said, "Kamal had an altercation with a group of so-called Chhatra League activists a few weeks ago. We believe the attackers are those Chhatra League goons.

"But we also believe the murder should not be given a political colour. The attackers should not be treated politically by the police and we demand their arrest."

Sylhet BNP yesterday called a three-day protest programme starting today and also demanded the arrest of the attackers before their Sylhet divisional rally on November 19.

After the news of the murder spread, a group of BNP and JCD men brought out a procession around 11:30pm on Sunday and vandalised shops and some vehicles in Rikabibazar area.

Mentioning this incident, Prof Zakir Hossain, general secretary of Sylhet city AL, yesterday said they will resist the BNP rally on November 19 if the vandals are not arrested.

Mohammad Ali Mahmud, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said, "Conducting raids, some vandals were detained by the police. Their identities will be confirmed soon after they arrive at the station."

Sylhet District BNP President Abdul Quiyum Choudhury said, "We will not take responsibility for this vandalism as our clear instruction was not to bring out a procession on Sunday night. The BNP is in no way involved with the vandalism and we urge the police not to harass BNP leaders over the issue."