Freedom fighter seeks justice for daughter’s murder

A freedom fighter today demanded justice over the killing of his daughter allegedly by his political rivals in Pabna’s Santhia upazila last month.

Mozammel Haque, a freedom fighter from Nagdemra village in the upazila, requested Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and authorities concerned to ensure him justice by bringing the culprits, who allegedly killed his daughter over longstanding rivalry, to book. 

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Mozammel was speaking at a press conference held at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) in the capital this morning.

The programme was organised by Bangladesh Muktijuddho Gobeshona Kendra at around 11:30am.

Abdus Salam, president of Ward No 1 unit of Nagdemra union Awami League and his associate Jahed Ali had long been threatening Mozammel and his family members since he denounced Salam’s joining AL after the party came to power in 2008, he claimed.

Salam is also a former Jamaat-e-Islami activist, and his associate Jahed Ali is the son of an alleged war criminal who was slain during the Liberation War in 1971, he said.

Jahed Ali also wanted to take revenge against the freedom fighter over the death of his father during the Liberation War, he added.

Despite local authorities’ efforts to end the feud, Salam, Jahed and their cohorts on August 19 went to Mozammel’s house to kill him, the freedom fighter alleged.

As his wife and daughter tried to save Mozammel while he managed to flee, the culprits beat them indiscriminately, vandalised their house, and then set their daughter Mukti Khatun, 22, on fire after pouring petrol on her.

Mukti, a second-year student of Philosophy department at Government Edward College in Pabna, suffered 60 per cent burns and died from her injuries at the ICU of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 1:30am on August 28.

There had been a longstanding conflict between Mozammel and his neighbour Salam over capturing a water body in the village, police said.

Both groups had clashed several times in the past and cases were filed against the two.

Relatives of the culprits have been threatening the victim’s family in social media from abroad.

“Abdus Salam’s nephew Nasim Uddin from Saudi Arabia post in his Facebook profile that he would take the matter in his hands once he returns to the country. We have been living in fear since the incident and are yet to go back to our home,” said Nasir Uddin, victim’s brother.

Speaking at the briefing, Shahjahan Mridha, general secretary of Bangladesh Muktijuddho Gobeshona Kendra, demanded exemplary punishment of the culprits for the heinous crime they have committed.

“Please do not disrespect the freedom fighters, we have no other expectations,” he lamented.