In what appeared to be synchronised attacks on publishers of slain blogger Avijit Roy, unknown assailants hacked to death Faisal Arefin Dipan of Jagriti Prokashani and critically injured Shuddhoswar’s Ahmedur Rashid Tutul yesterday.
Faisal Arefin Dipan’s body was recovered from inside his 2nd floor office at Aziz Market at the capital’s Aziz Super Market. Tutul along with two bloggers Ranadipam Basu came under attack at Lalmatia office of Shuddhoswar.
Meanwhile, a group identifying itself as Ansar Al Islam — Bangladesh chapter of al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) — claimed the responsibility for the murder of Dipan and attack on the three in an email sent out to different media outlets.
After the murder of blogger Niloy Chowdhury Neel in August, in email was issued a group of the same name had claimed responsibility of the murder of Niloy Chowdhury Neel.
It also threatened of annihilating people who would dare stand against Islam.
Muntasirul Islam, deputy commissioner (Media) of DMP, told The Daily Star at 10:00pm that they learnt about the claim from TV news scroll but he didn’t get anything “officially”.
Police say perpetrators carried the attacks from between 2:30pm to 3:30pm. After both the incidents, the doors of the two offices were found locked — Jagriti from inside and Shuddhoswar from outside.
The injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Of them, The condition of Tareque Rahim and Tutul were critical while Ranadipam Basu was out of danger, Khaza Abdul Gafur, assistant director of DMCH told The Daily Star last night.
Both Jagriti and Shuddhoswar have published books written by Avijit, who was hacked to death by alleged by fundamentalist elements in February this year near TSC.
Both Dipan and Tutul had received threats on several occasions after Avijit’s killing, their friends and colleagues said.
“My son had no enemy. He caused nobody any harm. The only reason behind the killing is he [Dipan] had published Avijit’s books,” Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque, father of Dipan, told reporters.
Police, however, could not tell about the motives behind the attacks but termed it as “pre-planned.”
Sheikh Maruf Hassan, additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) told reporters that both the attacks were carried out possibly by two separate groups.
“We are not in a position to say whether the two groups follow same ideology. The wounds of the victims of the both incident are seemed alike,” he said.
Alauddin, manager of Jagriti, said he was working in another office on the ground floor of the same building while Dipan was at the the second-floor office He had last talk with Dipan around 1:15pm, Alauddin said.
As Alauddin failed to reach Dipan over his mobile phone around 3:30pm, he went up to the second floor. Finding the door locked, he knocked on the door but no-one responded. “As we didn’t get any response despite several attempts, we broke open the door and found him lying on the floor, in a pool of blood,” he said.
Around 7:20pm, as police took his body to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, doctors declared him dead.
Jagriti’s manager Alauddin said Dipan had recently received threat through facebook and that’s why he called Dipan after watching news of Lalmatia’s incident on television yesterday.
“I am outraged and angry. I want an immediate investigation into the killings,” told Syed Shamsul Haque in an immediate reaction. “I request the government to do something about it immediately and ensure security for the publishing media,” he added.
Eminent writer Hasan Azizul Haque said: “I don’t think that these publishers have gone beyond the freedom of expression that the laws of this country grant to those involved in creative activities.
“If someone believes that they have stepped over the line, then who is he to take laws into his hands? There are relevant laws for him to take this matter to the court.
“I believe extremist forces have done this. If the government fails to contain these elements, security of people’s lives cannot be ensured,” he added.
Dipan left behind his wife Dr Razia, one son Ridad and a daughter Ridma. Ridad, a class-VIII student is scheduled to seat for JSC examination today.
LALMATIA ATTACKED
Ranadipam Basu, the victim attending treatments at DMCH, told The Daily Star that there a group of assailants stormed the office and hacked everyone. “They fired gunshots.”
In a desperate attempt to seek help, injured blogger Ranadipam posted a status on his Facebook page that they hacked us.
On information, police reached the office and rescued Tutul, Tareque and Ranadipam broking the lock and took them to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, he said.
Source: The Daily Star
