'False, baseless': Jamaat protests reports linking party to Kushtia pir murder

Daulatpur upazila Jamaat-e-Islami has strongly condemned and protested reports published in some media outlets linking the party to the killing of the widely discussed pir Abdur Rahman alias Sri Shamim Jahangir in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia, calling the reports false, baseless and motivated.

A joint statement, sent to the media last night (14 April) and signed by Daulatpur Jamaat Ameer Maulana Md Belal Uddin and Secretary Md Abdullah Al Noman, mentioned one report, published in the daily Samakal under the headline "Jamaat worker strikes first blow" in relation to the killing, calling it completely misleading and divorced from reality.

The Jamaat leaders said the incident in the Philipnagor area was not part of any political activity and that no leader or activist of any political party had any involvement.

They added that a case filed naming former Kushtia district Shibir president and Daulatpur upazila Jamaat executive council member Khaja Ahmed, 36, as the key accused and Rajib Mistri, 32, as the second accused does not correspond to the actual events. 

Their statement also mentioned that the names of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis local leader Asaduzzaman Asad, 48, and madrasa teacher Sihab Safi, 45, have also come up in connection with the same incident.

The incident was entirely spontaneous and local in nature, not a premeditated political act, they said. 

However, they alleged, a deliberate smear campaign implicating Jamaat is being orchestrated at the instigation of a "particular quarter."

The Jamaat leaders firmly stated that no leader or activist of the party was involved in the killing, demanding a fair and impartial investigation to identify the real perpetrators and bring them to justice with exemplary punishment.

They also expressed concern over the publication of "misleading and politically motivated" reports and called on the media outlets concerned to withdraw and correct them. The party urged journalists to play a responsible role by publishing news based on objective, impartial and verified information.

Meanwhile, key accused Khaja Ahmed denied any involvement, saying that on the day of the incident, efforts were underway to resolve the matter through a meeting. 

He said he warned the pir's brother after seeing news of a procession on Facebook, and later received information about the attack. 

Khaja stated that he was present at the scene when the body was handed over the following day, adding that he does not know why he has been named as an accused.

The incident occurred on Saturday (11 April) in the Philipnagor area, where hundreds of agitated locals attacked a darbar sharif, accusing Shamim of making offensive remarks about the Quran and Islam.

The attackers vandalised the premises and set parts of it on fire. 

Shamim died in the attack, while at least seven of his followers were reportedly injured.

The victim's elder brother, Fazlur Rahman, filed a case over the killing two days after the incident, on Monday night (13 April).