Suspected Islamic extremists yesterday morning hacked to death Rajshahi University’s English department teacher Prof AFM Rezaul Karim Siddique, the fourth teacher of the institution to be killed in a decade.
Well-known for his enthusiasm for music and literary works, Prof Rezaul was hacked with machetes by two assailants on motorcycle in an alley near his house in Shalbagan area of the town around 7:30am.
He was attacked while walking to the main road to catch a bus for the university at that time when presence of people was very thin in the alley.
Following the murder, officials of several law enforcement agencies visited the spot and observing the crime scene suggested that it could be an act of the militants who recently killed a number of secular writers and activists, and preachers belonging to Shia, Ahmadiyya, Hindu and Christian communities.
Later in the day, international militant organisation Dae’sh or Islamic State claimed responsibility for the murder of Prof Rezaul for “calling to atheism,” said US-based jihadi monitor website SITE Intelligence Group quoting Dae’sh’s Amaq news agency.
The government, however, refuses to accept Dae’sh’s presence in Bangladesh claiming that these attacks were conducted by local militants.
After the murder, Progressive Students’ Alliance, an umbrella platform of several student organisations, and the students of English Department, brought out a protest procession on the campus. RU Teachers’ Association also announced a number of programmes protesting the murder including a boycott of classes as a token protest today.
The agitating students also blocked Rajshahi-Dhaka Highway for around 30 minutes from 10:30am demanding quick arrest of the killers.
Proctor Mujibul Haque Azad Khan termed the murder utterly shocking, and said that it was another of the heinous murders.
Besides teaching, Prof Rezaul was the editor of literary magazine “Komolgandhar” and adviser to a cultural organisation named “Shundorom.” He was working to set up a music school in Shalbagan area.
Friends, colleagues and locals said that Prof Rezaul was a pious Muslim. He used to donate money to mosques and madrasas too.
After the murder, the body was sent to Rajshahi Medical College morgue for post-mortem examination. The body was handed over to the family of the victim around 12:45pm.
He was buried at his ancestral home at Darmagaria village in Bagmara around 9:30pm after the third janaza.
Riasat Imtiaz Sourav, son of the victim, filed a case with Boalia police around 4pm against unnamed persons. RMP formed a six-member committee, led by Additional Commissioner Tamizuddin Ahmed Sarder, to monitor the case.
Dae’sh claimed its operations in Bangladesh, according to the latest issue of Dabiq published on April 13, and revealed its plan of attacking Myanmar and India from its base in Bangladesh. “Our soldiers are sharpening their knives to slit the throats of atheists and Murtads who defame the Prophet,” it said.
Following this, the home minister said that a certain quarter from abroad was trying to convince the Bangladesh government that Dae’sh is actively operating in Bangladesh. “But I say there is no such operations. They are trying to create divisions among the Muslims through propagating such imaginary and baseless issue,” he had told the Dhaka Tribune.
Earlier, three teachers of the same university were brutally killed by militants and members of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student body of Jamaat-e-Islami.
Sociology department teacher Prof AKM Shafiul Islam was hacked to death by assailants near his house in Chouddopai area of Rajshahi city on November 15, 2014.
On February 1, 2006, geography department’s Prof S Taher Ahmed went missing from the university’s residential area and his body found in a septic tank two days later.
Earlier, economics department teacher Prof Dr Yunus was hacked to death by assailants in Binodpur area near the university on December 28, 2004.
Thursday, March 27, 2025
