Dipan murder
Publisher�s wife files case
Half day hartal today
Around 42 hours after the incident, Dr Razia Rahman, wife of murdered progressive publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan, filed a murder case with Shahbagh police station yesterday (Monday).
Talking to The Independent, the Deputy Police Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Muntasirul Islam Rony, said this.
She filed the case around 2:15pm, accusing unidentified persons.
Before the case was filed, Professor Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque, father of the victim, said he has respect for but no confidence in the existing laws of the country.
While talking to reporters at the Dhaka University Proctors office, where the case statement was written in the presence of police officers, he said: Since I have respect for the law, I want to file the case. But I shall not be the complainer. Dipans wife is going to be the complainer in the case, he added.
About his role in the case, he said: Ill remain as an assistant in the case.
Publisher Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury Tutul also filed a case for the brutal attack on him and two members of his staff on Saturday. DC Rony said the case has been shifted to DB.
He also said as Tutul is still undergoing treatment, one of his relatives submitted the case statement on his behalf to Mohammadpur police station yesterday afternoon. He too did not mention any name in the case statement. Tutul and writer-blogger Sudeep Kumar Roy Barman, who writes under the pseudonym of Ranadipam Basu, and Tareq Rahim are being treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
The DMCH deputy director Khaja Abdul Gafur said the condition of Tutul and Basu was improving. However, Tareq was still not out of danger.
A progressive publisher was killed and another publisher and two bloggers were hacked and shot by unidentified criminals in the Shahbagh and Lalmatia areas of the capital yesterday. Faisal Arefin Dipan, 45, owner of Jagriti Prokashani, was stabbed to death in his office at the Aziz Cooperative Market at Shahbagh, while Shuddha Swar Prokashani publisher Ahmedur Rashid Tutul and writer-blogger Sudeep Kumar Roy Barman and Tareq Rahim were injured at Tutuls office at Lalmatia.
Both the publishers Dipan and Tutul had brought out books of writer and blogger Avijit Roy, who was hacked to death on the Dhaka University campus in February.
Meanwhile, people from different walks of life continued their protest for the second consecutive day on Mondayover the recent brutal killing of Publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan and deadly attack on Publisher Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury Tutul as well as other bloggers. The Ganajagaran Mancha in the afternoon held a protest rally, and later brought out a candlelight procession in Shabagh in the capital in favour of the six-hour hartal to be held from on Tuesday from 6am.
Speaking at a short rally here, Mancha spokesperson Imran H. Sarker said, We will observe the hartalpeacefully to protest the publishers murder and I think all pro-Liberation War forces will participate in the hartal.
In the meantime, students, teachers, publishers, writers, journalists, human rights activists and students organisations formed a human chain under the banner of Teachers-Students-Writers and citizens too formed a human chain in front of the Dhaka University (DU) Arts building at around11am.
Speaking at the human chain, DU History Department Professor Muntasir Mamun alleged that some persons loyal to the Awami League (AL)-led government are passing controversial remarks over Dipans murder instead of taking strict action against militancy.
Being confident about AL, the countrys people elected them to tackle militancy and fundamentalism however they are yet to take any visible action against militant forces. If they fail to do so, it is high time we think about alternatives, said Professor Muntasir. He urged DU students and teachers to take combined action so
as to eradicate militancy from Bangladesh. He condemned AL Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanifs statements about Dipans father.
Noted Historian and DU Professor Sayed Anwar Hossen, in his speech, alleged that murderers of Professor Humayun Azad are yet to face trial after the passage of 11 years. Two bloggers were killed in 2013. Four were killed this year but the police just arrest criminals who are later released with no probe report submitted by the police in most cases, he said. He urged the younger generation to build strong resistance against such irregularities.
Professor of DU Bangla Department Rafiqualla Khan said, The police can do everything except arrest killers of bloggers and freethinkers. Among others, DU Professor Mesbah Kamal, Fahmidul Haque, Samina Lutfa, Zinut Huda, Naadir Junaid, Sarker and human rights activist Khushi Kabir participated in the human chain.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Chhatra Union and Samajtantrik Chhatra Front have demanded resignation of Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, terming him a failed minister. The student bodies have demanded immediate arrest of publisher Dipans murderers.
The demands were put forward at a press conference held at DU Madhur Canteen around noon where Chhatra Union President Laki Akthar read out the written statement. The student bodies also extended their support to the half-day nation-wide hartal on Tuesday called by Ganajagaran Mancha.
Earlier on Saturday, Dipan was stabbed to death at his publishing house office located on the second floor of Aziz Market hours after assailants stabbed Tutul, proprietor of Shuddhoswar. On the same day, Tutul along with Ranadipam Basu and Tareque Rahim came was attacked with a machete at Lalmatia office of Shuddhoswar. Tareque was also shot in the chest.
