Anwarul Azim, Member of Parliament of Jhenaidah-4 constituency of Bangladesh was killed in West Bengal, India. Many questions are being raised among the people with differences of opinion regarding the mystery of his death: Was it premeditated murder or murder?
It can be said that every episode, since his visit to India for treatment, to his murder, is shrouded in mystery. Gede's video concept while crossing the border and its subsequent media exposure; the mysteries of his car in front of his friend Gopal's house; or the curious messages sent to a family member and assistant on WhatsApp like “I have VIPs with me, no need to call.”
Many people have different takes on the incident, but one consistent thing is that it is a planned murder. Who will be involved in the investigation? Everyone. But are the people of our country involved in this murder? Many question the local security of India. Some cast the responsibility on the Mamata Banerjee government's clear negligence and failure to provide public safety.
Azim's friend Gopal Bhowmik made a GD on May 18 that Anwarul Azim was missing. Since then, Kolkata Police and Indian intelligence agencies have entered the field. The web of mystery deepens when his mobile phone is activated twice in Bihar. Analysts believe that the killing will indeed reduce the mercury temperature in the relationship between the two countries.
Some unconfirmed sources are claiming that MP Anwarul Azim was involved in border smuggling. He may have been killed for sharing the money. However, the family suggests that this claim is completely baseless. But there is still the lingering doubt that this MP who won three consecutive terms of the Awami League has enough influence in the border area.
The intelligence agencies of the two countries must swiftly cooperate to unravel this major mystery
The family claims that he went to India only for medical treatment. But then his neighbours confirmed that he regularly goes in and out of India. Why he went to India without a family member or companion is also now a matter of investigation.
Various Indian media claim that the owner of the flat in which he last stayed is Sandeep Roy, who works in the Revenue Department of the West Bengal government. He hired a person named Akhtaruzzaman, a Bangladeshi expatriate. Although the Kolkata Police has not been able to find any trace of his body till now, they claim he was also murdered. The DB chief claimed that the investigation will continue with the interrogation of the three people detained in Bangladesh. Calcutta police suspect that a woman and two men entered the flat in question. Many Indian journalists are claiming that if they can catch the owners of the car waiting in front of the house of friend Gopal Bhowmik, maybe the knot will be loosened.
However, Kolkata's Bidhan Nagar Police Deputy Commissioner of Police Manav Shringla told reporters that the cab driver claimed that the passenger was killed and his body scattered in pieces during police interrogation. The police authorities could not answer why they were killed, who were the murderers, where were the pieces of the body thrown. Although there is still confusion about this.
Whoever is at the helm of the incident, it has managed to strike a chord in the cordial friendship and alliance between the two nations. Now the intelligence agencies of the two countries must swiftly cooperate to unravel this major mystery.
Prashanta Kumar Shill is a journalism scholar and international political analyst. Email: [email protected]
