Prof Rezaul killing: ‘Fanatics hated him for his music school’

Four days into the killing of Prof Rezaul Karim Siddiquee, the police yesterday said they got information that the teacher had incurred wrath of fanatics by setting up a music school at his village Dargamaria in Bagmara upazila.

Police also detained two persons from Dargamaria and neighbouring Khajapara villages for they had reportedly been against establishing the music school, police sources said.

The arrestees are Raihan Ali, 28, imam of the Dargamaria village mosque, and Monsur Rahman, 50, a teacher of Gopalpur Islamia Alim Madrasa in Khajapara.

They were held in custody for interrogation as some villagers told police that they opposed the music school and even threatened some of the school students, said Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Commissioner M Shamsuddin. 

“We believe the police would be able to extract important information from them,” he said.

A key investigator of the murder case said police had also found an eyewitness who told them that the killers left the scene at Shalbagan chanting “Allahu Akbar”.

While fleeing, the killers on a motorcycle went towards Gourhanga, but they were not caught in the CCTV camera of the police at Gourhanga.

“We have information that the killers fled through Food Godown Road near Gourhanga,” the investigator said. 

Of the arrestees, Raihan of Talgharia village of the upazila was employed at the Dargamaria mosque sometime in the middle of 2014. Since then, he started living in Dargamaria and married a girl of the village one year ago.

Raihan's wife Shahara Khatun told this correspondent that her husband had no links with any political party.

Alamgir Hossain, brother-in-law of the other arrestee Monsur Rahman, said Monsur had been picked up from home around 1:30am and that he was also not involved in politics.

Earlier on Sunday, police arrested Hafizur Rahman, 22, a Rajshahi University student and former president of an Islami Chhatra Shibir unit.

Law enforcers are likely to produce him before a court today with a seven-day remand prayer.

Talking to The Daily Star, several villagers said the murderers in no way had any link to the village where most of the inhabitants were highly grateful to Prof Rezaul.

“He [Prof Rezaul] has no enemy in the village. It can't be. He was such a big donor and loved all the villagers,” said Zillur Rahman, a councillor of Bhawaniganj municipality, of Dargamaria village.

Meanwhile, teachers of Rajshahi University returned to classes yesterday ending a three-day work abstention in protest at the killing of Prof Rezaul on April 23 near his home at Shalbagan in the city.

RU students, however, did not attend any class and continued demonstration.

As many as 3,000 students marched in procession on the campus around 10:00am.

They also formed a kilometer-long human chain on both sides of Dhaka-Rajshahi highway, blocking the road for nearly an hour.

Some of them had “We want justice” written on their chests while many others were holding placards demanding immediate arrest of the killers. Protesters also urged the government to eliminate militancy.

The agitating students announced that they would barricade the highway for four hours from 9:00am today.