RU teacher killing: Protests spread Shibir man arrested

Protests over the Saturday’s killing of Rajshahi University teacher AFM Rezaul Karim Siddiquee widened on Sunday while police investigators arrested an Islami Chhatra Shibir leader from the locality where assailants had hacked to death the English department professor.
The protesters, mostly students, irrespective of their belief and political affiliation, paraded the Rajshahi University campus and other educational institutions across the country demanding justice in the killing of the 58-year-old scholar.
Besides, local and international bodies continued to denounce the brutality on the intellectual in north-western part of country in less than two years of similar pattern killing of another teacher in the city.
The motorbike-riding attackers hacked the teacher in morning when the victim left his house to catch his university transport.
Hours after the killing, SITE Intel Group twitted ‘#ISIS’ ‘Amaq Agency reported the group’s responsibility for killing Rajshahi Univ prof Rezaul Karim for “calling to atheism” in #Bangladesh.’
So-called Ansar Islam also twitted ‘O blasphemes! We will continue to kill you until you stop insulting our beloved prophet Muhammad (pbuh).’
RU English department teachers at a press conference on the day said that the claim made against the professor of being non-believer was totally false and fabricated.
His colleagues said the professor was a pious man and never made any comments hurting religion or politics.
‘We so far found no leads regarding what he could be targeted for…We found nothing connecting to his writings,’ said the case investigation officer inspector Jahidul Islam of Detective Branch.
He said that they detained Islami Chhatra Shibir 19-no ward secretary Hafizur Rahman in this connection. ‘We held him on suspicion,’ said the inspector.
Hafizur Rahman, also second year student of public administration department at Rajshahi University, was detained from a Shibir-dominated student hostel at Chhota Bongram in Rajshahi city around 4:00am, said Rajshahi Metropolitan Police commissioner Md Shamsuddin.
Hafizur would to be produced in court today.
DMP’s counter-terrorism and transnational crime chief Monirul Islam on Sunday said the claim of Islamic State had no authenticity and it had no organisational existence in Bangladesh.
‘Claiming responsibility for murders is very easy as it does not require any evidence or verification,’ he said, adding, ‘The IS claims are totally forged.’
A few expatriate Bangladeshis might have joined IS in the past but most of them might have died, so IS’s claims had nothing to do with Bangladesh’s reality, he said.
EU ambassador to Bangladesh Pierre Mayaudon expressed his deep concern and condemned the brutal killing.
The initial findings indicate that the crime was conducted by fanatics, the statement said, adding,
‘Should it be confirmed, this would be yet another terror attack in Bangladesh in a short period of time.’
‘Killings of academicians and intellectuals are irreparable losses for any society as a whole. It is comforting that students quickly expressed their rejection of this sickening aggression,’ the statement said.
France has strongly condemned the murder. In a statement on Sunday, the French embassy called for quick investigation into the murder and punishment of the culprits.
‘This murder is a direct attack on intelligence, culture and spirit of generosity, which were what Professor Karim was representing,’ the statement added.
New Age correspondent at Rajshahi University reported that the teachers and students boycotted classes and examinations and continued their protests against the murder.
Over 500 teachers, students and staff of the university English department, wearing black badges, brought out a protest procession on campus and joined a rally in front of the university senate building in the morning.
The demonstrators also blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway for 15 minutes to press home their demands.
Addressing the protest rally, the agitated students threatened tougher movement if the suspected killers were not arrested within 48 hours.
Until then they would continue their daily demonstration.
No classes were held on Sunday, nor will they be hold today as RU Teachers’ Association called for a two-day class boycott in protest at the killing.
RU Teachers’ Association also brought out a separate protest procession on the campus.
RU vice-chancellor Muhammad Mizanuddin, pro-VC Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan, former VC Saidur Rahman, RU Teachers’ Association’s president Muhammad Shahidullah, RUTA former president Ananda Kumar Saha, among others, spoke at the rally.
Addressing the rally, RU vice-chancellor said they did not want to see any more killing and demanded that rule of law prevailed in the country.
‘No killers are brought into light nor are they handed exemplary punishment. As a result, our fellow teachers are being killed one after another,’ he said.
RUTA president Muhammad Shahidullah said, ‘We want to see immediate action to trace out and arrest the real killers.’
RUTA also formed a human chain at Saheb Bazar Zero Point of the city.
RU unit Progressive Students’ Alliance, a platform of four left leaning organisation, and Kendria Sangskritik Jote, a platform of ten cultural organisations at the university, among others, arranged a protest rally on the same demand.
No classes and examinations would be held till Tuesday at English department and a mourning discussion would hold today.
Dhaka University Teachers’ Association denounced the killing, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to book.
In Dhaka, Jagannath University Teachers’ Association also held a rally in front of the university Shaheed Minar demanding justice in the killing.
With the latest incident of killing, at least four Rajshahi University teachers were murdered in the last 12 years.
New Age correspondent in Barisal reported that teachers and students of Barisal University English department on Sunday formed a human chain protesting at the killing.
Teachers of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology on Sunday staged demonstration on the campus to protest at the killing.

Source: New Age