Two Chhatra League activists and an Awami League leader have been killed in attacks by pro-Yunus mobs, who are associated with the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party (NCP), in the last 24 hours.
Dhaka City South Chhatra League leader Syed Abul Hossain Biplob was killed in a mob attack, and Bhola Chhatra League leader Saifullah Arif was hacked to death in front of his house. In Jashore, Awami League leader Ashraful Islam was stabbed to death at a tea stall.
The Awami League and its affiliated organisations have condemned the killings and demanded justice.
In the past year, hundreds of Awami League leaders and activists have been killed across the country, while at least 70 were killed by the law enforcers extrajudicially. On the other hand, security forces arrested over 4,00,000 party leaders and activists, including more than 110 ministers and MPs.
Rights activists say Bangladesh has become a heaven of mob violenceโthanks to the patronisation of Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who serves as the state’s chief adviser of the interim government.
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Justice is far from being done in these killings; rather, the government is giving impunity to the perpetrators. The Yunus regime is calling these mobs โJuly Warriorsโ and โpressure groups.โ
The inaction of the administration, the Bangladesh Army and the police, and the violence of the mob terrorists have instilled fear in the minds of the people of Bangladesh.
If anyone speaks against these injustices, s/he are being attacked with the tag of Awami League. Under the Anti-Terrorism Act, the autocratic government is detaining university professors, journalists, and members of civil society.
When a Jamaat-NCP mob attacked freedom fighter Abdul Latif Siddique, Dhaka University professor Hafizur Rahman Curzon, and freedom fighter Keshab Ranjan Sarkar two days ago, the police detained those victims and filed a case under the draconian Anti-Terrorism Act. When asked by the media, police said they will not file any case against the attackers.
Activists also question the silence of the United Nations and global human rights organisations.
Syed Abul Hossain Biplob
Bangladesh Studentsโ League (BSL) expressed deep shock and anger over the brutal murder of Biplob, former vice-president of Dhaka Metropolitan South Branch and former student leader of Donia Union Branch.
Biplob was killed by a mob of Jamaat and BNP terrorists in Donia on Saturday.
In a statement, BSL said that this is a planned political murder. โWe express our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and relatives of the martyr Biplob.โ
Saifullah Arif
On Saturday morning, BNP-Jamaat terrorists hacked and slaughtered Saifullah Arif, vice-president of Bhola Sadar Upazila Chhatra League, in front of his house at Nobobi Mosjid Road of the town.
Arif’s father, a retired teacher, Md. Basir Uddin, said that his son is the younger of his two children. He graduated in textile engineering from Dhaka City Engineering University. He was looking for a job.
Arif had been hiding for about six months since the fall of the government last year.
He came home two days ago to visit his ailing father. After eating with his family on Friday night, he stayed in his room until 1am. In the morning, during the Fajr call to prayer, his father went out to pray and screamed when he saw blood at the gate of the house. Then he saw Arif’s bloody body lying on the street.
Ashraful Islam
Son of Azhar Ali Master of Mobarakpur village in Chaluhati Union of Monirampur Upazila in Jashore, Ashraful Islam was the general secretary of the Mobarakpur Ward Awami League.
He was stabbed to death at a tea shop in front of the Habi Chira Mill in Rajganj Bazar of the upazila around 9pm on Saturday. Another person named Tarek was injured while trying to stop the attacker.
Billal Hossain, a resident of Rajganj area, said that Ashraful Islam used to spend time regularly at the tea shop. At around 9pm, an unknown young man aged 18-20 suddenly entered the shop. Seeing the boy’s movements, Ashraful wanted to leave the shop. At that time, the boy stabbed Ashraful in the chest. When he tried to stop him, he stabbed another person named Tarek, who was sitting in the shop and escaped quickly. Ashraful Islam died on the spot due to the stabbing.
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