Severed body of former Islami Bank official recovered in Cumilla

The severed body of a former Islami Bank Bangladesh official was recovered beside a railway track near Lalmai Railway Station in Cumilla this morning (23 January).

The deceased was identified as Abdul Aziz, 45, son of Abdul Alam of Wahidur Para village under Kharna Union in Patiya upazila of Chattogram. He previously served as an officer at Islami Bank Bangladesh's Srimangal branch.

Laksham Railway Police Station Sub-Inspector Masud told The Business Standard that the body was recovered around 8:30am after the Lalmai Railway Station master informed police. 

"We found the body beside the track. The head and one hand were severed. The body has been sent for autopsy, and a case of unnatural death has been filed with Laksham Railway Police Station," he said.

Aziz was among more than 5,000 bank officials — most of them from Chattogram — who were dismissed in September and October last year following a dispute over the bank's Special Assessment Test. According to his former colleagues, he was the Sylhet zone coordinator of the protest movement against the enforced Assessment Test Arrangement and the subsequent mass termination.

Asked about the cause of death, SI Masud said it was too early to draw any conclusion. 

"We cannot confirm how he died. The reason behind his death can only be determined after receiving the autopsy report," he added.

Family members, however, suspect foul play. Aziz's elder brother, Al Noor Karim, said Aziz had left Dhaka by train on Thursday (22 January) night. 

"When his mobile phone was found switched off and he did not reach home even after 9am, we started searching for him. Later, we learned that his body had been recovered from the Lalmai area," he said.

Karim claimed that Aziz had been actively involved in protests against the mass termination and had conflicts with senior bank officials over his role in the movement. 

"We suspect that he may have been killed and thrown off the train due to the dispute," he added