Motives behind Mohib Ullah murder

Rohingya leader Mohib UllahFile photo

A total of 36 members of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) deliberately assassinated Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah, 50, at the behest of the armed group’s chief Ataullah Abu Ammar alias Jununi.

The chargesheet submitted to the senior judicial magistrate court by the police states how and why Mohib Ullah was killed.

It said Mohib Ullah was killed deliberately. He was in favour of the Rohingya regaining Myanmar citizenship. He was vocal against trafficking of Rohingyas to different countries.

Besides, he was against several crimes committed by the Rohingyas, including killing, rape, extortion, and drug trafficking. He formed an organisation named ARSPH for peaceful repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar and the realisation of the rights of the Rohingya people.

Being educated and fluent in English, he had contact with representatives of different international organisations and diplomats from different countries, who came to the camp. He was popular among the common Rohingya citizens. For these reasons his conflict with the ARSA (also known as Al-Yaqeen) leaders continued to grow. Therefore, ARSA chief Jununi and others plotted his assassination.

Two days before the incident, on the night of 27 September 2021, a secret meeting was held at the office of master Abdur Rahim alias Raqim in the Markaz Faruq Majhi block. The plan to assassinate Mohib Ullah was finalised at the meeting.

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The indictment states, as part of the plan made at that meeting, the accused gathered in front of the shop of Salamat Ullah at the Markaz intersection of Faruq Majhi block. From there, led by master Abdur Rahim, Chhamir Uddin alias Nur Kamal and Mojammel Hossain alias Lal Bodiya, Khairul Amin, Foyez Ullah, Zahid Hossain alias Lulu and Azizul Haque went to the office of Mohib Ullah with locally made pistols.

Accused Shukkur Alam and master Shafi Alam were guarding the group in front of the door of Mohib Ullah’s office with pistols. However, Mohib Ullah was not in his office. Later, they decided to call him up.

On the night of 29 September, Mohib Ullah was in his room after the Esha prayers at around 8.30pm. At that time Morshed alias Murshid went to his living room and brought him to his office. After a while, ARSA leader master Abdur Rahim, Abdus Salam, Mojammel Hossain alias Lal Bodiya, Khairul Amin, Zahid Hossain alias Lalu and others went to his office.

ARSA leader master Abdur Rahim first called Mohib Ullah by his name and said, “We have come to take you. Get up.” As soon as Mohib Ullah got up, the accused opened fire at him.

Master Abdur Rahim shot Mohib Ullah on the right side of his chest. Then Zahid Hossain alias Lalu shot him twice on the right side of his chest and on his navel. Khairul Amin fired the fourth bullet which struck Mohib Ullah’s right shoulder. After Mohib Ullah fell on the ground with serious wounds, the miscreants opened blank fire and hid in the camp.

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The indictment states that Mohib Ullah met the then US president Donald Trump as a Rohingya representative. Afterwards, some 200,000 Rohingyas gathered in the Kutupalong camp in Ukhiya on 25 August 2019 to mark the ‘Rohingya genocide day’. The Rohingyas gathered there at the call of Mohib Ullah. Jununi, chief of ARSA, a terrorist group opposing the Rohingya repatriation, could not accept Mohib Ullah’s leadership at all. He thought Mohib Ullah could obstruct ARSA’s activity in future and therefore the plan was made to assassinate the Rohingya leader.

The police submitted the chargesheet against 29 on Monday. Of them, some 15 are in the Cox’s Bazar district jail. The remaining 14, including Rahim, who shot the first bullet, have been absconding since the killing. All of the accused are members of ARSA at different levels.

All the accused are involved in various crimes, including theft, robbery, killing, rape, mugging, human trafficking and drug peddling, the indictment states.

Ukhiya police station’s inspector (investigation) and the investigating officer of the case, Gazi Salah Uddin, submitted the chagesheet in the court.

According to police, on the night of 29 September 2021, Mohib Ullah, 50, was killed by armed men at the office of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH) in the D block of Lambashiya Rohingya camp in Ukhiya. He was the chairman of that organisation.

The next day, on 30 September, Habibullah, younger brother of Mohib Ullah filed a murder case against unidentified miscreants. Some eight months and 13 days after the murder, the chargesheet was filed on Monday.