People from all walks of life have paid tribute to slain writer-blogger Avijit Roy on Oporajeyo Bangla at Dhaka University.
The body of Avijit was kept there from 10:40am to 11:45pm on Sunday for the public to pay their last respects.
Later, his body was taken to the place where he was murdered. Flowers were placed at the spot.
The attack on Avijit and Bonna is an attack on our consciousness, said Ramendu Mazumder, while paying tribute to slain writer-blogger Avijit.
Syed Hasan Imam said the people who stand against communism and for liberation values are being killed one after another.
This is barbarism, said the veteran theatre personality.
Shahriar Kabir, president of Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, said previously fundamentalists attacked Humayun Azad and continued with the attacks. If the fundamentalists are not stopped, they would ultimately target the prime minister.
If these crimes are not tried, they will annihilate everyone who has a commitment to the liberation struggle, Shahriar Kabir added.
Mahfuza Khanam, women's leader and professor, and a former student leader of the turbulent 1960s, said: “Let us take this oath, swearing on Avijit, to resist the fundamentalists and militants, so that these evils cannot distract the country from the path of liberation.”
Sammilito Sangskiritik Jote, an alliance of cultural groups, organised the tribute for the slain free-thinker, Avijit Roy.
Among the hundreds of mourners who stood in the queue to pay respect to the Bangladeshi-born US blogger were Khalequzzaman of Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (Socialist party of Bangladesh), Director General of Bangla Academy Shamsuzzaman Khan, Dhaka University Vice Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique, National University Vice Chancellor Dr Harun-or-Rashid, Professor Rafique Ullah Khan, MM Akash, Shafiquzzaman, Rahnuma Ahmed, Vice Chancellor of Jagannath University Dr Mizanur Rahman, General Secretary of Sammilita Sangskritik Jote Hasan Arif, Barrister Sara Hossain, and former student leader Baki Billah.
The Communist Party, Ganashanghati Andolon, Chhatra League, Gonojagoron Moncho, Chhatra Union, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, Bangladesh Online Activist Forum-BOAF, among other organisations, laid floral wreaths before the body of the writer-blogger.
His body was donated to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for medical research.
Avijit, 45, was hacked to death and his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonna, 35, was seriously injured in an attack by unidentified assailants near the TSC roundabout on Thursday night.
Only hours after the death of the author and blogger, the responsibility of the crime was claimed by a Twitter account reportedly belonging to “Ansar Bangla 7” – a group believed to be an Islamist outfit.
Avijit – a naturalised US citizen who lived in the US state of Georgia – came to Bangladesh with his wife on February 15 after two new books he authored were published at the Ekushey Book Fair.
Since arriving in Dhaka, the author, who rose to prominence with his Bangla-language blog site Mukto-mona, had been visiting the book fair every day – reportedly staying there until the end of business hours.
