Speaking to family members, neighbours and other sources, this correspondent was able to reconstruct a rough outline of Liton’s everyday activities.
After he arrived in Shahbaj village in Sundarganj, Gaibandha on December 14, the lawmaker would usually get up around 10am and took his breakfast.
After that he met a hoard of visitors and followers till around 1:30 to 2pm. After that Liton would have lunch, where usually some of his closest political aides and companions would be present.
Then in the afternoon, starting from 3:30 to 4pm, more people would come to his place. Right before Maghrib prayers, he would send everyone away.
Soon after the prayers, Liton would take his car out and go to the Awami League office in Bamondanga union where he would spend the rest of the evening.
The MP’s residence in Shahbaj village under Sarbananda union in Sundarganj upazila in the district DHAKA TRIBUNE
About 30 minutes during and around the Maghrib prayers was when the MP would have the smallest number of people around him.
Usually when in Shahbaj, Sundarganj police would provide him with a security detail, but always after persistent pushing, as the MP often refused, said Sundarganj OC Atiar Rahman.
This time, the MP would not budge at all on the detail and eventually conceded to escorts during his travel. So there were no policemen at his home.
“Last time we provided escort for him was the day before murder when he went to Taraganj,” Atiar said.
The assassins may have targeted this particular time frame. On the day of the killing, according to eyewitnesses, they came to the MP’s house around 4pm and hung around in the area, approaching the man right before Maghrib prayers.
But on that fateful day, the killers got more leeway than they might have hoped for because some of the MP’s close men were busy elsewhere.
Sanaul Islam Shamu, a former Upazila Chhatra League president, said he and his men, who were usually at the MP’s house up till Maghrib in the days before, were busy that day preparing for a New Year’s event.
“We told the MP to join us and he promised to come along later,” Shamu said.
Jahangir Alalm Suja, a former Dhopadanga union chairman, said he was also supposed to be present but was taken ill that day.
Six Jamaat men arrestedSundarganj police arrested six Jamaat-e-Islami leaders from all over the Upazila on Friday night.
The men are: Samiul Islam, 32, Hadisur Rahman, 30, Farid Miah, 70, Ziaur Rahman, 32, Hazrat Ali, 44 and Nabinur Khandker.
They were brought to Gaibandha Judicial Magistrate’s Court yesterday afternoon and police prayed for remand for all of them. But the court postponed the hearing till today.
Sundarganj police’s Inspector (investigation) Ashrafujjaman said Farid Miah was a financier of Jamaat and the others were Jamaat activists.
RAB conducted a raid on Friday night to arrest suspect and known criminal Ratan from Sadullapur Upazila but failed to find him.
The cartridges and bullets recovered from the drawing room of Liton’s house have been sent to Dhaka for DNA test, Inspector Ashrafujjaman said.
Law enforcement is also looking into internal clash in local Awami League as a possible motive, a source said.