RU teacher killed

Staff Reporter :Dr AKM Shafiul Islam Lilon, 39, professor of Sociology Department of Rajshahi University, was killed when unidentified assailants hacked him near Bihas [Biswabiddalaya Housing Society] at Chouddapai in Rajshahi city on Saturday afternoon.Hailed from Sonatola upazila in the district of Bogra, Dr Shafiul was also a follower of Lalan Shah, widely known as Lalan Fakir, a Bengali Baul saint and songwriter.Police said the victim came under the attack of the miscreants at about 2:30pm while returning to his rented Bihas residence from his workplace. His residence is situated around two kilometers away from the campus adjacent to Dhaka-Rajshahi highway.Meanwhile, a tense situation was prevailing in the campus following the killing. Hundreds of students gathered near the residence of the victim yesterday evening chanting slogans demanding immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the killers.The activists of Pragotishil Chhatra Jote, a platform of left leaning student organizations, brought out procession in the campus after the incident. Some general students also put blockade on the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway at about 6:30 pm to register their protest, which halted vehicular movement for several hours. Besides, the Rajshahi University Teachers Association [RUTA] protesting the incident took decision to boycott all classes and examinations of the university for Sunday.Terming the incident a ‘pre-planned killing’, Pro-vice Chancellor of the university Professor Sarwar Jahan said Shafiul came under the attack of assailants when he was returning home. A huge contingent of police has been deployed in the RU campus to prevent any untoward situation. Police said the assailants, most likely a gang of four to five, were believed to be waiting for the victim near his house. The teacher was knocked down in the ambush when he slowed his motorcycle to take a turn. He received fatal injuries in different parts of the body including head. Of them, there were three severe cut injuries on his neck when assailants chopped him by the machete. The assailants left the spot leaving the victim in a pool of blood, police said. Hearing his screams, local people rushed to the spot and took him to the Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital [RMCH] in a critical condition.  Director of RMCH Brigadier General Nasir Uddin said, “Safiul was admitted to hospital around 3:45pm with serious injuries and he was kept at Intensive Care Unit [ICU] after an emergency surgery. He succumbed to his injuries around 4:45pm.”Officer-in-charge [OC] of Motihar police station Alamgir Hossain told The New Nation on Saturday night, “The victim’s residence was about 100 yards far from the main road. The spot was very isolated. We have recovered a chapatti and victim’s motorcycle from the spot. But we are yet to get any vital clue to know the motive behind the attack.”OC said police are now proceeding with two basic stances, one is political and another personal. “So far as we know, he was not affiliated with any political party openly. But we still do not know whether he was involved in secret political activities.” “However, the conjugal life of the teacher was disturbing. He divorced his wife a few days ago. It was his third-time divorce. Earlier, he divorced two times. We are not sure whether there was any family conflict behind the killing,” he added.The OC said, the officials of different law enforcing agencies, including Rapid Action Battalion [RAB] and Criminal Investigation Department [CID], visited the spot after the killing. The police are also conducting massive hunt to arrest the culprits, the OC added.