Was it intra- or inter-party feud?

Law enforcers might be in the dark about the killers of Fulgazi upazila chairman Ekramul Haque, but it appears that a local weekly newspaper, owned by an expelled ruling party leader, predicted it only a day before the gruesome murder.

According to a report published in Shaptahik Hazarika, its owner former Awami League MP Joynal Hazari, Ekram along with Prime Minister’s Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury and some other local leaders might be abducted or killed anytime.

Slain Ekram could not ignore the report and soon after reading it installed two CCTV cameras at his Mastarbari residence in Feni town.

He also told his brother Rezaul Haque Jasim about his fears.

In conversation with the Dhaka Tribune, Jasim said: “On Tuesday night, Ekram was saying that he might be killed somewhere near his residence. Out of fear, he installed two CCTV cameras at home. Ironically, his statement came true in just a couple of hours – he was killed at a place only five minutes from home.”

When asked about who could be the possible killer, he said: “It may be a result of intra-party conflict. But he also had an open conflict with BNP leader Mahtab Uddin Minar. He lost to Ekram in the upazila election.”

After the murder, Jashim early yesterday filed a case with Feni model police station accusing Minar and 34 other unnamed people.

“Minar’s name was included because he earlier tried to kill Ekram twice during the upazila elections,” Jasim said. The real story might come out if the law enforcers talked to the witnesses and the local businessmen.

Police have so far arrested around 23 people in connection with the murder case. Minar is not one of them.

Feni Superintendent of Police Paritosh Ghosh said: “Media can publish whatever they want. But we will conduct investigation as per the complaints filed by the victim’s family.” The Dhaka Tribune has also contacted Joynal Hazari about the report published in his weekly.

He said: “It [the allegation about forced disappearances] is an open secret but nobody has the courage to bring it out to people.”

He then told this correspondent to find out more clues about the murder.

According to sources, Ekram was known as the right-hand man of Joynal Hazari in the 1990s.

He was also a party of the “steering committee,” formed by the former lawmaker that used to collect tolls, extort, mug, manipulate tenders and carry out other criminal activities.

After the BNP came to power in 2001, both Ekram and Joynal left Fulgazi.

After they came back, Ekram defeated Joynal become the upazila chairman in the 2009 elections. Soon after becoming the chairman, he established his own den in the area and took control over all tenders and government projects that were implemented there. He came to be known as the “tender emperor” of Feni.

The Dhaka Tribune has learnt from some former local politicians that Nizam Hazari, the current MP of the area who emerged in the scene only in 2001, won in the national election taking advantage of the rivalry between the duo.

Awami League leader Nizam’s name was also mentioned in the Shaptahik Hazarika report.

Things began to pacify between Ekram and Joynal after a clash of interest developed between Nizam and Ekram.

Nizam, as the local MP, wanted to control the local tenders, but Ekram would not give up his hold. Last year, Ekram was attacked by a group of Nizam’s men centring tenders of the district diabetic hospital.

Recently, Joynal, angered by Nizam becoming MP from the Awami League, started supporting Ekram.

Local political leaders believe that with the death of Ekram, the Awami League will lose its footing in the upazila because now there is nobody to contest against BNP leader Minar.

Abdur Rahman, the Feni unit Awami League president, told the Dhaka Tribune that Ekram might have been killed because of conflicts created during the upazila election, held on March 15.

He, however, refused giving any detail saying it would not be a good idea.

MP Nizam, also secretary of the district unit Awami League, snubbed out allegations that Ekram had been killed over intra-party conflict.

Claiming that the stories of his conflict with Ekram were “baseless,” he demanded exemplary punishment for the killers.