July movement involvement led to attack, murder followed refusal to withdraw case: Police
Police say the victim was repeatedly threatened over the case.
A leader of Islami Jubo Andolan was hacked to death in public in Narayanganj's Bandar yesterday night (20 August), allegedly after refusing to withdraw a case filed against a local criminal gang, police said.
The victim, Zahid Hasan Bulbul, 40, joint general secretary of the party's Bandar thana unit, was attacked in the Salehnagar area around 10pm, according to police.
Police arrested 11 people, including alleged gang leader Sheikh Sifat, in connection with the killing between midnight and this afternoon (21 August), confirmed Narayanganj Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mizanur Rahman Munshi at a press conference.
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The other arrested suspects are Jumman, Mahafuz, Riyad, Siam, Ifran, Jisan, Minara, Nasima, Ruma and Yasmin, according to police.
During the press conference, SP Mohammad Mizanur Rahman Munshi said Bulbul had been attacked earlier over his participation in the 2024 July uprising.
"On 25 July 2024, Sifat and his associates attacked and looted Bulbul's garage because he had taken part in the movement," the police official said.
After 5 August, Bulbul filed a case with Bandar Police Station naming Sifat as the prime accused, he said.
Sifat allegedly went into hiding for some time before returning to the area and repeatedly pressuring Bulbul to withdraw the case, the SP said.
On Thursday night, Sifat allegedly threatened Bulbul again after seeing him in the area. An argument followed, after which Sifat and his associates allegedly attacked Bulbul with sharp weapons, leaving him critically injured.
He was taken to Narayanganj Victoria General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The police official said Sifat has several previous cases filed with Bandar Police Station, including murder and snatching.
"Eleven people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the killing. Interrogation and investigation are continuing to determine whether anyone else was involved," the SP said.
Following the killing, leaders and activists of Islami Andolan Bangladesh set fire to tyres and staged protests on roads in Bandar in the same night.
They subsequently blocked the Dhaka - Chattogram Highway in the Madanpur area this morning for nearly an hour, demanding justice for Bulbul.
However, they later withdrew the blockade following a request from police.
