Hanif: Perhaps Dipan's father believes in killers’ ideology

Awami League leader Mahbubul Alam Hanif has alleged that the father of slain publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan might be a believer in the ideology of his own son's killers.

Only a day after the gruesome murder of the Jagriti Prokashoni publisher, the AL joint general secretary made the comment in connection with Dipan's father's remark that he would not seek justice for his son's death.

On Sunday, Hanif told media that Dipan's father, Professor Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque, does not want justice as he might be a believer of the political ideology of the killers.

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As a father himself, Hanif said he was surprised and ashamed at such a statement.

Earlier on Saturday, after Dipan's body was found in his own office at Shahbagh, Prof Haque said: “I do not want to go to court. I know there is no justice in the courts of this country. But I can just say that I will probably file a case as it is customarily done. I hope good sense prevails on both sides.”

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Talking to the journalists at Suhrawardi Udyan on Sunday, Hanif said: "He [Prof Haque] does not want justice over the killing of his son. The killing was political. I am surprised. I think everyone who read the news were similarly surprised. This is the first time in the history of Bangladesh, that a father who has lost his son does not want justice for the killing of his child."

The only reason behind such reasoning would be that the father himself had similar political beliefs as his son's killers, Hanif told journalist after inspecting the rally venue for a programme to mark the November 3 Jail Killing Day.

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“He [Prof Haque] does not want to see the killers on the dock who share the same political ideology.”

At the time he was making the comment, Dhaka City Awami league's General Secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya was seen nodding his head in support of what Hanif was saying.

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