9 arrested over Islami Jubo Andolan leader’s killing in Narayanganj

Police have arrested nine people a day after the murder of Islami Jubo Andolan leader and rickshaw garage owner Zahid Hasan Bulbul in Narayanganj.

Bulbul, 45, son of Raja Master of the Shahi Mosque area, was the joint secretary of the Bandar West unit of Islami Jubo Andolan Bangladesh. He was attacked with sharp weapons in the Salehnagar area around 8pm on Thursday following a dispute over a lawsuit.

Narayanganj Additional Superintendent of Police Tarek Al Mehedi confirmed the arrests on Friday.

The arrestees include prime accused Sheikh Sifat alias Kata Sifat, 32; Mahbub Hossain Mahfuz, 32; Jummun alias White Jummun, 29; Riyad, 33; Md Siam, 25; Mosa Minara, 35; Nasima, 35; Ruma, 36; and Ifran, 25.

According to locals and Bulbul’s family, Sifat and several others were accused in a case filed over an attack and looting at Bulbul’s rickshaw garage during the anti-discrimination student movement. They allegedly threatened him to withdraw the case.

On Thursday, the accused again pressured him to withdraw it. An argument followed, after which a group led by Sifat attacked Bulbul. He was taken to Bandar Upazila Health Complex and later Narayanganj 100-bed General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Protesting the killing, Islami Jubo Andolan activists blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway in Madanpur around 9am on Friday, causing several kilometres of traffic congestion on both sides.

Kanchpur Highway Police OC Shamim Sheikh said they left the highway around 11:30am after about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Mufti Masum Billah,

resident of Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Narayanganj metropolitan unit, called it a planned killing and said Bulbul had faced an earlier attack attempt. He demanded exemplary punishment.

Bandar Police officer in-charge (OC) Jamal Hossain said police are conducting drives to arrest others involved. Legal proceedings are underway following the autopsy, he added.