Alone, orphaned and without best friend
After the killing of Prof Shafiul Islam, Javin not only lost his father but also his best friend. "Now I am alone, orphaned, and helpless," he said about himself. "I lost my mother as a child. How will I live the rest of my life? ... I've lost my best friend in the world."
Soumin Shahrid Javin is the only son of AKM Shafiul Islam, 48, a sociology professor at Rajshahi University, who was killed by unidentified assailants in front of his house outside Rajshahi city on Saturday.
"Father would cook for me and ask me to come home. If I was two or three days late, he would keep the food until my arrival," said the youth, who is a first-year student of mass communication and journalism at Dhaka University.
A grieving Javin recalled the memories at a commemorative meeting at RU's Momtaz Uddin Arts Building yesterday, organised by the sociology department.
Prof Shafiul was known as a progressive teacher and admirer of Lalon's songs. Police suspect that radical Islamists with links to Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir planned the murder.
"My father was a peace-loving man. He was a vegan because of his love for animals," Javin said, pleading, "Please don't let father's ideology die."
Wasim Rumana Lipi, a sister of Shafiul, said, "Javin lost his father, mother, and the best friend at the same time."
"It is impossible for us to make up for all that," she told the meeting, where RU Vice Chancellor Prof Muhammad Mizanuddin, Social Sciences Faculty Dean Prof Nilufar Sultana, Sociology Department Chairman Prof Wardatul Akmam, and Shafiul's colleagues spoke.
Lipi said they did not want to see news headlines but rather a proper investigation and punishment for the killers.
The family members also expressed their insecurity since the killers are not arrested yet.
Laying stress on continuing the protest, Lipi said, "If the movement wanes, the murderers will attack someone else again."
Sakhina Akter, the mother of the slain professor, was also present.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Chhatra League of RU unit, which accused Shibir of killing the professor, yesterday formed a human chain in front of the central library demanding arrest of Shibir RU unit President Ashraful Alam Emon within 72 hours.
Otherwise, BCL will announce tougher programmes, its leaders said.
Separately, RU Kendrio Sangskritik Jote handed over a memorandum to the VC demanding arrest of the attackers.
A fanatic group, Ansar Al Islam Bangladesh, has claimed responsibility of the murder on Facebook but officials did not comment on this.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police M Shamsuddin last evening visited Shafiul's family members and assured them of a proper investigation.
Talking to journalists after that, he said police would begin a combing operation against all criminals in the city to ensure security of the dwellers.
He, however, ducked questions on the progress of the investigation.
Shafiul's house was opened yesterday.
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