Shibir activist killed at Rajshahi: Another innocent life snubbed.

Source: RTNN

The family of Abdullah Omar Naseef (Shahadat) , the Shibir activist killed at Rajshahi in an ‘encounter’ with RAB on the 12^th of May has said that he had been arrested from Mirpur in Dhaka 9 days prior to his killing. On the other hand, to protest the brutal killing, dawn to dusk hartal has been called for Monday in Rajshahi, Natore and Chapai Nawabgonj by Shibir.

This announcement of hartal was made by Shibir in a press statement sent to various news and print media Sunday night.

According to the press statement, Shahadat had been arrested by members of the UK trained elite force, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on the 4^th of May from a house at Mirpur 2 in Dhaka. As usual however, RAB had then dismissed the allegations. Finally, Shahadat was killed by RAB-5 at Rajshahi (at a location more than 250 kilometers from where the Shibir activist was arrested). 

In this context it is mentionable that news emerged of the killing of Shahadat, a Shibir activist, in an ‘encounter’ with RAB during the early hours on Sunday at Betar Ground, Binodpur in Rajshahi. 

The family of the deceased said that Shahadat had been arrested by RAB a week before. They claimed that RAB had killed him elsewhere and dumped his body at the Betar Ground.

Lt Col Anwar Kabir Khan, group leader of RAB-5, informed journalists that on obtaining information that a group of Shibir cadres had gathered in the area to hold a ‘secret’ meeting at around 4.00am, a team of RAB-5 conducted a drive there. Sensing the presence of elite forces, Shibir cadres opened fire, forcing the lawmen to fire back, leading to a gunfight with Shibir. RAB officials later found the bullet-riddled body of Shahadat lying on the ground. He added that the law enforcers also recovered a pistol, a magazine loaded with five bullets, six crude bombs and three bottles of petrol near the body.

However, Akhtaruzzaman Manu, father of Shahadat and a resident of Kajla in the city said that his son had gone to Dhaka on the 3^rd of May in order to join the rally of the Hefazat-e-Islam on the 5^th of May. He had been residing at his friend’s house at Mirpur-2 when he was arrested on the 4^th of May in the evening without any reason whatsoever. In the meantime he was not even raised in court, despite a legal obligation to raise any arrested person in court within 24 hours as demanded by the law. Despite repeated attempts by the family members to locate Shahadat, they were met with denials from the security agencies, especially RAB-5, who denied any knowledge of his whereabouts or his existence. Finally, they got to meet him, but in a body bag. No more will Shahadat ever speak again and we shall never know what he did to deserve such cruel treatment. 

Shahdat was a degree student of Katakhali Adorsho College. He was married. He is survived by his wife and 5 year old son. His family has claimed that he was killed after being severely tortured. A blanket of grief has descended upon the locality where the martyr resided.