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2 held over death threats to Sayeedi’s physician

  • Staff Correspondent
  • 18 August, 2023 12:00 AM
  • Print news

Two people, including a woman, have been arrested in connection with the death threats to late Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi’s physician.
The arrestees were identified as Tafsirul Islam, 23, an activist of Islami Chhatra Shibir, and Hafiza Mahbooba Bristy, 32.    
RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Commander Khandaker Al Moin disclosed the matter at a press conference at RAB media center in the capital on Thursday.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Tafsirul from Maheshpur in Jhenaidah on Wednesday night.
Tafsirul allegedly threatened to kill Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) doctor SM Mustafa Zaman, who treated Sayeedi.
His father Rafiqul Islam Rafi is also an activist of Jamaat-e-Islami. Several cases were filed against Rafi in 2013 and 2014 for committing acts of sabotage in the area and he served time.  
The elite force is working to bring those, who are insulting and threatening the physician, under legal framework.
Khandaker Moin said Sayeedi was admitted to the emergency department of the BSMMU on August 13 and died on the night of August 14.
An expert team of physicians treated Sayeedi with sincerity after he was admitted to the emergency department. Sayeedi’s family also expressed satisfaction with their treatment. Tafsirul threatened to kill the doctor in anger, he said.  
Centring on the death of Sayeedi, some circles are spreading misinformation through various media, including social media, with the aim of denigrating the medical community along with creating an unstable situation in the country.
Apart from this, Mustafa Zaman has also received death threats from various IDs on social media and YouTube.
In view of a general diary (GD) lodged by the victim at Dhanmondi Police Station, a team of the intelligence wing of the RAB-2 raided the Maheshpur area and arrested Tafsirul.
During the initial interrogation, Tafsirul admitted to making the death threat against doctor Mustafa Zaman through Facebook and mobile messages besides spreading propaganda on social media regarding the death of Sayeedi.
The RAB official said Tafsirul is a student of honours second year at a local college. He has been an active member of Islami Chhatra Shibir since his school days.  
As Tafsirul developed a skill in IT, he used to earn Tk 10,000-12,000 per month through online marketing.
He is the admin of two different Facebook groups. Mainly because of his political ideology, he threatened to kill Mustafa Zaman in anger.
Tafsirul deleted the message from WhatsApp after Mustafa Zaman lodged a GD. But screenshots of messages containing death threats were found on his mobile.
Many people are threatening doctors by collecting numbers from these groups. RAB is also working to arrest them too. Besides, the groups have been kept under surveillance, added the RAB official.
Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Counter-Terrorism and Transnational (CTTC) unit also arrested a woman on the same charge from the capital’s Uttara area.
Soon after the death news of Sayeedi spread, hundreds of Jamaat men gathered at hospital area and carried out vandalism, alleging negligence in treatment. But the BSMMU authorities said Sayeedi was given proper treatment. Prof SM Mustafa Zaman of the cardiac department received death threats from apparently followers of Sayeedi. The physician filed a GD alleging that Sayeedi activists may cause harm to him and his family members.