The son-in-law of one of the militants who blew themselves up during a drive in Rajshahi on Thursday was influenced by his in-laws to join New JMB, his brother has claimed.
Minarul Islam said his brother Zahurul Islam – arrested by police five months ago – was never involved in militancy until he got married, when he started to become distant from his family.
On Thursday, May 11, Zahurul's in-laws – Sazzad, his wife Beli, their sons Al Amin alias Hamza and Soheb, and daughter Karima – and another militant named Ashraful, an engineer from Chapainawabganj, detonated suicide vests when police surrounded their hideout in Benipur village.
Zahurul's wife and Sazzad's daughter Sumaiya surrendered with her two children later in the morning.
Also Read- Operation Sun Devil ends: Bombs, pistol, gunpowder found at Rajshahi militant den
Minarul said Zahurul married Sumaiya 10 years ago.
"The newly-weds stayed with Zahurul's family in Diar Manikchak village in the district's Godagari upazila for six weeks, before they moved in with Sumaiya's family in Machmara village," said Minarul, who is iman of Benipur Jame Mosque.
Around a year before his arrest, Zahurul built a madrasa in Machmara.
“My brother went to madrasa; he studied until Dakhil. But he was never involved with militancy before. His in-laws led him astray and got him involved in it," he said.
Sumaiya, daughter of militant Sazzad and wife of New JMB activist Zahurul Islam, comes out of a paddy field at Benipur village in Rajshahi to surrender before police on May 12, 2017
Azahar Uddin/Dhaka TribuneBefore killing themselves, the militants hacked a firefighter named Abdul Matin to death.
Four police members were also injured in the blast.
Law enforcers concluded the raid, named Operation Sun Devil, on Friday, May 12, and recovered 11 bombs, one pistol, two rounds of bullets and one magazine from the militant hideout.
Sazzad's family refuse to take bodies
Sazzad's mother and uncle have refused to take his and his family's bodies for burial, said Nisarul Arif, deputy inspector general of police in Rajshahi Range.
“They [Sazzad's mother and uncle] said those who got involved in militant activities were enemies of the state. So they will not take his and his family's bodies,” said the DIG at a press conference on Friday.
Their bodies will be handed over to Quantum Foundation for burial after the post-mortem examinations, he added.
