Followers and locals gather in front of the Khanqah Sharif of Pir Farhad Hossain Chowdhury known as Kaderia Mohammadia Darbar Sharif DHAKA TRIBUNE
Eshaq was a disciple of Pir Farhad Hossain Chowdhury of Bochaganj in Dinajpur who was killed along with his adopted daughter Rupali Begum Monday evening.Also Read- JMB statement solves many cases
Bhurungamari OC (investigation) Rabiul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that they had handed him over to Dinajpur police. During interrogation, Eshaq said that he had stopped being a disciple of Farhad over a dispute two to three years back. Eshaq went to Bochaganj area two weeks ago as he has some disciples there too. Pir Farhad and Rupali were found dead at the former’s Khanqah, named Kaderia Mohammadia Darbar Sharif, in Hatrampur area of Bochaganj on Monday. He used to live at a house in nearby Doulagram. Locals saw five to six youths on two motorcylces in the area in the afternoon. Both of them were shot and hacked, while Rupali’s throat was slit as well. Her husband, whom she married three days before the murder, remains absconding.
Also Read- Pir and daughter shot dead in Dinajpur
Pir Farhad Hossain Chowdhury DHAKA TRIBUNE
Police earlier detained caretaker Saidur Rahman and his associate Samor Ali for questioning.
Daughter of Farhad, Atia Farhana Annie, filed a case against unidentified persons with Bochaganj police Wednesday.
Police suspect militants could be behind the murders, but did not rule out possibility of Farhad’s conflict with Eshaq or others, over land and valuables, as possible reasons.Also Read- Pir’s disciple slaughtered in Rajshahi
Pir Farhad was the former president of BNP’s Setabganj municipality unit. He quit politics in 2006-07 after losing in the municipality election reportedly due to internal conflict. He then left the town and established the Khanqah, known as Kaderia Mohammadia Darbar Sharif, in 2010. His family members live in Dinajpur town. Locals say though he used to preach a different version of prayers and other rituals, Farhad had no conflict with anyone. He visited the Khanqah Sharif regularly and delivered “sermons” on Thursdays. Many criticised him for not emphasising on offering prayers and for accepting both Muslims and Hindus as disciples. The annual religious function at the Khanqah Sharif was supposed to take place in April. In the last couple of years, Islamist militants have killed over a dozen Pirs and their disciples, and launched bomb attacks on shrines and temples across the country. The old faction of banned militant outfit JMB claimed responsibilities for most of those attacks. Two other groups – HujiB and New JMB – were also found involved in several other attacks on shrines and non-Sunni preachers. The New JMB militants, reportedly affiliated with the Islamic State, carried out at least four attacks in Dinajpur in the last two years. Spiritual leader of the terrorist group Maulana Abul Kashem was the principal of a Dinajpur madrasa. He was arrested from Dhaka earlier this month.
