Shocked, his father dies of cardiac arrest
Ansar Ali Khalifa, father of Rafiqul Islam Shakil, a key accused of Bishwajit Das killing, died Saturday morning due to cardiac arrest an hour after police arrested Shakil in Barguna.
In spite of being his father, Ansar outspokenly demanded punishment of Shakil who brutally chopped the innocent tailor with a machete during opposition’s blockade on December 9.
“But he breathed his last early in the morning. He was too shocked to tolerate it. Shakil was arrested around 5:00am and he (Ansar) expired around 6:00am,” a relative of Shakil told The Daily Star at the Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital, Barisal where doctor pronounced Ansar dead.
On hearing his son’s arrest, Ansar Ali Khalifa, a retired fourth-class employee at the Patuakhali district tax office felt serious chest pain and was brought to the hospital around 6:00am, family sources of Shakil said.
Family said Ansar fell sick on Sunday, the day he saw on television his son mercilessly chopping an innocent youth in the capital’s Johnson road.
With all the sadness of the world, Ansar Ali on December 11 said that he wants punishment of his son. “I could not believe what I watched on television. I knew that my son was engaged in student politics but I didn’t know he became such a danger man.”
Ansar Ali’s body was sent to his native village in Bakerganj upazila of Barisal, reports our correspondent.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam at a BBC dialogue on Saturday said killers of Bishwajit will be tried in a speedy trial tribunal.
Our Barisal and Patuakhali correspondents said Shakil was arrested at a relative’s house at Deshantarkathi village in Betagi upazila in Barguna early Saturday.
Nurul Islam, officer-in-charge of Bakerganj Police Station, who accompanied a team of detective branch from Dhaka, said raiding the house of Kanchon Ali Mir, a relative of Shakil’s cousin Jagannath University student Raihan Alam around 5:00am, police arrested Shakil and Raihan from the same house.
Police made the arrest by tracking mobile call lists and both of them confessed that they were BCL activists, the OC said.
With the arrest of Shakil, total number of arrestees in connection with the brutal killing has risen to ten. Earlier on December 13, Detective Branch of police arrested three while the four others held on December 11 who was shown arrested in a case filed with Sutrapur Police Station.
On December 14, the detectives arrested Rasheduzzaman Shaon while he was trying to flee to India through Sylhet border. Police also arrested Saiful Islam at the city’s Uttara.
Meanwhile, Saiful and Shaon were placed on an eight-day remand on Saturday.
In a separate development, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Dr Mizanur Rahman on Saturday blamed police members and hospital authorities’ negligence behind the death of Bishwajit.
Doctors did not play due role to treat him. Police members also did not play their role while the incident took place in front of them, the NHRC boss commented while talking to reporters after a programme in the city.
He assured Bishwajit’s family that the NHRC will do everything on its part so ensure justice.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on the other hand demanded judicial probe into the Bishwajit killing and punitive punishment of persons involved in the brutality.
