Arrests yet to be made even four days since Kushtia Pir killing
Meanwhile, Jamaat held a press conference in Daulatpur today, protesting what it described as the “intentional inclusion” of its leaders and activists in the case.
Police have yet to make arrests even four days after the killing of Shamim Reza Jahangir, revered by his followers as a Pir or spiritual leader, who was beaten to death and his shelter set on fire in a mob attack in Kushtia's Daulatpur upazila.
"Operations to arrest the accused are ongoing, but no one has been detained yet," Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Ops) Faisal Mahmud told The Business Standard today (15 April).
The victim's elder brother, Fazlur Rahman, filed a case over the killing two days after the incident, on Monday (13 April).
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
In the case, Khaja Ahmed, 36, has been named as the prime accused. He is described in the case statement as a former Kushtia district Shibir president and a Daulatpur upazila Jamaat-e-Islami executive council member.
According to the case statement, Shamim ran a darbar sharif at his residence in Philipnagor.
On Saturday (11 April) at around 2:45pm, Shamim was present at the shrine when, allegedly on the instruction of the prime accused Khaja Ahmed, 180-200 people forcibly entered the premises carrying iron rods, machetes, knives, axes, bamboo sticks and wooden batons.
The attackers are alleged to have vandalised the doors and windows of the shrine before entering the second floor, where the second accused, Rajib Mistri, 32, allegedly struck Shamim on the waist and head with an iron rod with intent to kill.
The FIR further states that unidentified individuals hacked Shamim with sharp weapons on multiple parts of his body, including the head, near the right jaw, inside the lip, chin, left side of the back, and behind the right knee, causing severe bleeding injuries.
He was also allegedly beaten indiscriminately with bamboo sticks and wooden batons across different parts of his body, it added.
Meanwhile, Jamaat held a press conference in Daulatpur today, protesting what it described as the "intentional inclusion" of its leaders and activists in the case, calling it completely false, baseless, and part of a "well-orchestrated conspiracy."
They alleged that a vested group had implicated Jamaat leaders in the case to settle political scores.
The party further alleged that Khaja Ahmed had been made the prime accused out of jealousy over his popularity and for political purposes.
