Five progressive bloggers and a publisher were killed, while two bloggers were critically injured in seven targeted attacks across the country this year.LOOKING BACK 2015
Year that throttled voices of progress
Habibullah Mizan
Five progressive bloggers and a publisher were killed, while two bloggers were critically injured in seven targeted attacks across the country this year.
After the attacks, several bloggers and publishers left the country and sought political asylum abroad. Here is an account of the six fatal attacks.
Avijit Roy
Repatriate from the US, progressive blogger Avijit Roy was stabbed to death at Dhaka Universitys TSC area on February 26.
His wife, Rafida Ahmed Bonya, who was also critically injured, later secretly left for the US in association with the US embassy in Dhaka.
Immediately after the gruesome killing, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) claimed responsibility. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) came to Dhaka for investigation.
The Rapid Action Battalion arrested radical blogger Shafiur Rahaman Farabi, who had threatened several times to kill Roy.
Washiqur Rahman Babu
Only a month later, on March 30, blogger Washikur Rahman Babu was similarly stabbed to death at Begunbari area of the citys Tejgaon area.
Locals, including two eunuchs, detained two attackers and handed them over to the police. Joint commissioner of the DB, Monirul Islam, claimed that the sleeper cell of ABT had killed Babu.
Ananta Bijoy Das
On May 12, it was the turn of blogger Anata Bijoy Das to be stabbed to death in Sylhet. Police arrested photo journalist Idris, who was the first to photograph the bloggers body.
Niladri Chattopadhyay Niloy
On August 7, unidentified assailants hacked to death Niladri Chattopadhyay Niloy in his house in the capital in broad daylight. Niloy was also a Ganajagoron Mancha activist. Four men armed with cleavers entered his house in Khilgaon, posing as potential tenants, and killed him in his bedroom around 1.15pm.
Police arrested two members of the Islamic extremist outfit ABTAL Nahian and Masud Rana.
Attack on Ahmed Rashid Tutul
Unidentified men attacked the owner of Shuddhashwar publishing house and two others at the publications office in the citys Lalmatia area on October 31.
Shuddhashwar owner Ahmed Rashid Tutul, Tareq Rahim and Ranadipam Basu were hacked with sharp weapons. Within a few days of being released from hospital, Tutul and Ranadipam left the country secretly, fearing further attacks.
Faisal Arefin Dipan
On the same day, Avijit Roys publisher, Faisal Arefin Dipan, was hacked to death. Dipan, who ran Jagriti Prokashony, was killed in his office on the second floor of Aziz Supermarket at Shahbagh.
