Police have not arrested anyone even four days after the killing of Pir Abdur Rahman, also known as Shamim, in Daulatpur, Kushtia. According to police, operations are ongoing to apprehend the accused.
On Monday night, the victim’s elder brother, Fazlur Rahman, filed the murder case with Daulatpur police station. The main accused and alleged instigator in the case is local Jamaat leader Muhammad Khaza Ahmed (38). He is a former president of Kushtia district Chhatra Shibir and currently a member of the Daulatpur upazila Jamaat executive committee. He is son of Kalam Dafadar from Islmapur village under Philipnagar union.
The case statement names four individuals. The other three are Md Asaduzzaman (35), son of the late Ershad Ali from Hosenabad (Biswaspara) village in Daulatpur upazila, who is president of the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Daulatpur upazila unit; Rajib Mistri (45), son of Gazi Mistri from Darogar Mor area in southwest Philipnagar; and Md Shihab, a resident of Islmapur (Purba Para). In addition, 180 to 200 unidentified individuals have been accused.
Earlier, around 10:15 pm on Monday, police had verbally stated that only one person was named in the case.
Inspector Sheikh Md Ali Mortuza of Daulatpur police station has been assigned to investigate the case. Speaking today (Wednesday) afternoon, he told Prothom Alo, “No accused has been arrested yet. Hopefully, arrests will be made. Operations are ongoing.”
In the case statement, Fazlur Rahman said that his younger brother, Abdur Rahman (57), had a Darbar Sharif at his home in Philipnagar. Around 2:45 pm on Saturday, his brother was at the Darbar when, allegedly on the orders of the main accused Khaza Ahmed, 180 to 200 individuals—including the named accused—entered the premises armed with iron rods, sickles, machetes, knives, axes, bamboo sticks, and wooden batons. They vandalised doors and windows of the Darbar.
Rajib and others then went to the second floor and beat a man named Zobayer (31) indiscriminately with iron rods. After that, Rajib Mistri struck Abdur Rahman on the waist and then on the head with an iron rod with the intent to kill.
The complaint further states that unidentified attackers inflicted severe injuries on Abdur Rahman using sharp weapons, targeting his head, right jaw, lips, chin, left side of the back, and behind the right knee, leaving him critically wounded. They also beat him with bamboo sticks and wooden batons.
Hearing his screams, a caretaker of the Darbar, Jamiran, rushed in. The third accused, Asaduzzaman, allegedly attempted to strike her on the head with a sharp weapon; she blocked the blow with her left hand, suffering a deep injury to her wrist.
The complaint also alleges that the attackers vandalised and set fire to the Darbar Sharif, causing damages estimated at around Tk 2 million. They reportedly broke open a steel cabinet and stole Tk 500,000 in cash and four bhori of gold ornaments.
When contacted, Jamaat leader Muhammad Khaza Ahmed declined to comment.
On Tuesday night, the Daulatpur upazila Jamaat issued a press release regarding the incident. Signed by Amir Belal Uddin and Secretary Abdullah Al Noman, it stated that the Philipnagar incident was not part of any political activity. It claimed that none of those involved were leaders or activists of any political party and that the incident occurred spontaneously at the local level. It further alleged that a political group is falsely implicating Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. The statement denied any involvement of Jamaat leaders or activists and demanded a proper investigation and punishment of the real culprits.