Officials at Rajshahi Metropolitan Police now say that Facebook page “Ansar Al-Islam Bangladesh 2,” members of which claimed to have killed Rajshahi University teacher Prof AKM Shafiul Islam Lilon, made a false announcement.
Police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have so far shown 17 people arrested for their suspected involvement in the murder.
Six others were detained from Bogra on November 23. Four of them – Amal Chandra Karmakar, Sadhon Chandra Karmakar, Vojon Chandra Sarker and Sudarshan Chandra Karmakar – were machete makers. Police released them on Thursday.
The two others were detained for opening the Facebook page that claimed responsibility of the murder within five hours. Shariful Islam, a teacher of Mostafizur Cadet College of Bogra, and Rayhanul Islam Shadhin, 17, a class VIII student of Gokul School, were produced before a court under section 54. They are Jamaat-Shibir men, police say.
Just a few days earlier, RMP Deputy Commissioner Nahidul Islam agreed with RAB’s findings that Jubo Dal members had been behind the murder.
“Ansar Al-Islam Bangladesh 2 was not involved in the murder. We came to know from Shariful and Rayhan that they opened the Facebook page on seeing the news in the media to take the credit as an accomplishment of their organisation,” Alamgir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Motihar police station, told the Dhaka Tribune.
A case would be filed against the duo for opening the page, under the Information and Communication Technology Act, said the OC, also investigation officer of the case.
Police are now looking for a Shibir leader, who is a former president of Bogra Azizul Haque College unit and resident of Shibganj area of the district, for directing the duo to open the page. “We believe that all things will be clear after his arrest,” Alamgir added.
Police claim that Ansar Al-Islam Bangladesh 2 is a wing of Jamaat.
Asked if it was already proved that the Jamaat-Shibir men were not involved in the murder, OC Alamgir avoided giving any direct answer.
About the machete makers, the OC said they were made witnesses in the case and would be brought to the court during the trial proceedings.
Asked why the six detainees were placed before the court four days after detention, the RMP deputy commissioner said: “We brought them from Bogra as witnesses of the case. We just interrogated them. We have the right to do so.”
However, according to the constitution, a person should be produced in the nearby court within 24 hours after being taken to the law enforcers’ custody.
Since the murder on November 15, the RMP officials were claiming that local Jamaat-Shibir men, militants or professional killers had been behind it. They even arrested 11 active Jamaat-Shibir members. On the other hand, elite force RAB arrested six Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal men and claimed that Shafiul had been killed because of personal conflicts.
Iftekharul Alam, assistant commissioner of the Detective Branch of Police, said: “The investigation is not completed yet. We are analysing the clues. Those responsible for the murder must be brought to book; no matter which group they belong to.”
Four of the 11 Jamaat-Shibir men, who were taken on a two-day remand on Thursday, were sent to jail yesterday after their remand ended.
Iftekhar, also the RMP commissioner’s spokesperson, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had got some sensational information from the four people. “It is not safe to disclose it to media right now,” he added.
