Ahmedur Rashid Tutul, owner of Shuddhashar publishing house, only heard the chanting of Allahu Akbar and then what he did was all reflex action to save his life.
Lying in his hospital bed he said yesterday afternoon that he had been talking to his wife Shamim Runa over phone before he was attacked.
“After that as I was just trying to get down to my regular work on my computer I heard someone chant Allahu Akbar and something sharp struck my head and my vision got blurred,” Tutul said.
Ranadipam Basu and Tareq Rahim – Tutul’s friends – had come to his office to draw up a plan for publications for the next book fair. The meeting was totally unplanned and Ranadipam and Tareq became its victims, said Tutul.
“After the first hit on my head, I could not understand what was going on. I can only recall Tareq trying to save his head with his hands and Ranadipam kicking chairs to obstruct the machete-wielding attackers.”
He said he could not recall the exact number of attackers but he saw one with a pistol guarding the door.
Shamim Runa, wife of Tutul, said she had last sent an SMS to Tutul around 2pm. A little later she had made several calls to know if he would come home for lunch but Tutul did not receive them. When she called for the third time Rasel, a Shuddhashar employee, received the call and told her about the attack. She then called the police.
She said Tutul started his publication business in 2004. As there are offices of Nijera Kori and Computer Source opposite the building, they thought such attacks at such a crowded place were not possible.
Shamim Runa said they were considering installing CCTV cameras but it was postponed until next February due to financial constraints.
Ranadipam: We are writers, not bloggers
While talking to the Dhaka Tribune in the DMCH cabin, Ranadipam Basu said the media was making mistakes identifying him as a blogger.
A writer or a poet could not be a blogger. To them, blog is just a medium to express their creation.
He said he saw Tareq there. He went to the place as he submitted a research work to the publisher and wanted to share his views.
He said he could not recall what happened that day. “I felt a heavy blow on my head and I do not exactly recall what I did after that; but I could realise something was going on. I regained my consciousness at hospital.”
He said he did not see anybody and could not say how the attackers looked like. “All happened in the blink of an eye.”
Tareq yet to regain consciousness
DMCH authorities yesterday said the condition of injured writer Tareq Rahim was still critical.
DMCH Director Brigadier General Mizanur Rahman said the three were improving day by day. “However, the condition of writer Tareq Rahim is still critical.”
He said Ahmedur Rashid Tutul, Ranadipam Basu were improving fast and were mostly out of danger. Their bandages will be removed soon.
Ekramul Kabir, brother-in-law of Tareq, quoted doctors as saying that bullets were still inside Tareq’s body and it will take time to take them out.
