Pir Shamim killing in Kushtia: Two sent to jail
The suspects were detained during a late-night drive on Sunday
Police have arrested two men over the killing of Pir Abdur Rahman, also known as Shamim Reza Jahangir, in Kushtia's Daulatpur upazila, nearly three weeks after the incident.
The suspects were detained during a late-night drive on Sunday (26 April), 19 days after the killing. They were produced before a court yesterday (27 April) and sent to jail, police said.
Arrestees Biplob, 26, and Alif Islam, 23, hail from South-West Philipnagar village in Daulatpur upazila. Police said they were identified by analysing mobile phone video footage recorded during the incident.
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According to police and local sources, a 36-second video recorded several years ago began circulating on social media on 10 April, allegedly showing Pir Shamim making derogatory remarks about the Holy Quran.
The footage triggered widespread anger among people from different walks of life in the area.
On the morning of 11 April, more than a hundred people gathered at Abed's Ghat, about half a kilometre from the shrine where Shamim was staying. Later in the afternoon, the crowd attacked the shrine.
Shamim was hacked and beaten to death during the attack, reportedly in the presence of police, according to allegations.
Later, the victim's elder brother, Fazlur Rahman, filed a murder case with Daulatpur police station naming four people and 180 to 200 unidentified individuals.
The main accused is local Jamaat leader Muhammad Khaja Ahmed, 38, a former president of Kushtia district Islami Chhatra Shibir and currently a member of the Daulatpur upazila Jamaat working committee.
Denying the allegation, he has claimed that he was not present at the scene, and he was made the prime accused for political reasons.
Other named accused include Md Asaduzzaman, 35, president of the Daulatpur upazila unit of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Rajib Mistry, 45, from Darogar Mor area of South-West Philipnagar, and Md Shihab of East Para in Islampur village.
The investigating officer, Inspector Sheikh Md Ali Mortuza of Daulatpur police station, said law enforcement agencies have been working to arrest the accused since the case was filed.
"The two arrested men have initially admitted that they were present during the attack along with others," he said, adding that police may seek remand if necessary.
He said the drives to arrest the remaining suspects are ongoing.
