UP chairman killed Nadim to take revenge over reports published: RAB
Chairman Babu’s son Rifat, the second accused in the murder case, is still on the run
Journalist Golam Rabbani Nadim was killed by Mahmudul Alam Babu, a local Union Parishad (UP) chairman, for reporting on the corruption indulged in by him, according to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
"He [Nadim] recently reported on corruption and irregularities of Babu, which infuriated the chairman. To take revenge, the chairman planned and took part in the killing directly," said RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Khandoker Al Moin at a press briefing in Dhaka on Saturday.
RAB arrested Mahmudul Alam Babu, Jamalpur's Sadhurpara Union parishad (UP) Chairman and union Awami League's general secretary, from Char Tistapara, a bordering area of Panchagarh's Chilahati Union under Debiganj upazila on Saturday morning.
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Nadim's wife Monira Begum filed a murder case with Bakshiganj Police Station on Saturday, accusing UP Chairman Babu and 21 others of committing the murder
After his arrest, Babu was shown as the prime accused while his son Fahim Rahman alias Rifat was named as the second accused in the case. Rifat is still on the run.
Aside from arresting the prime accused, law enforcers in separate drives also arrested three other people — Rezaul, Monir and Zakir from Bogura and other parts of the country.
RAB claimed that they directly took part in the killing mission.
At the press briefing, Khandoker al Moin said, "Journalists are friends of us [RAB] in fighting against terrorism and criminal groups. Journalists are sometimes attacked for doing their job. But we [RAB] always try to ensure justice when journalists come under attack for carrying out their duty. No one is above the law."
In the case statements, the plaintiff Monira Begum mentioned that her husband (Nadim) was made a target after he reported on the second wife of the UP chairman. The woman was deceived by Babu and was fighting to get her marital recognition.
After Nadim published the report, the chairman filed a Digital Security Act case against Nadim, which a Mymensingh cyber court tribunal dismissed on 14 June. On that day, the chairman kept threatening to kill Nadim, the case statement reads.
"Nadim posted a status on the same day the DSA case was dismissed. The status made Babu furious. Babu made the plan to kill Nadim with his assailant group. He [Babu] orchestrated the killing from behind the scenes," said RAB Director Moin.
As news of Nadim's death spread, chairman Babu went into hiding at a relative's house in Panchagarh, Moin said.
When asked why the law enforcement agencies had failed to provide security for the journalist who had sought help through a social media post a few days ahead of the incident, the RAB director said, "We do not know whether he [Nadim] made any written complaints to the police station concerned. If he did, he would surely get legal help."
UP Chairman Babu was suspended from his union Awami League's general secretary post in the early hours of Saturday on allegations of violating party discipline.
Journalist Nadim, the Jamalpur correspondent of the online news portal banglanews24.com and Bakshiganj upazila correspondent of private channel Ekattor TV, died on 15 June, a day after being brutally attacked by Chairman Babu and his supporters in Bakshiganj upazila of Jamalpur.
Nadim's family members have alleged that he had been receiving threats from Babu, for publishing reports of his corruption.
Nadim's death triggered an outcry among journalists and common citizens alike.
Demanding justice, members of the news media held human chains and protests in Satkhira, Jamalpur and other places in the country.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) also condemned the death of Golam Rabbani Nadim.
