Police have taken Nuruzzaman, the eldest son of BNP lawmaker Abdul Aziz from Natore-4 (Gurudaspur-Baraigram) constituency, into custody for questioning following the death of a Chhatra Dal leader who was injured in an attack.
Police said he had been in custody since late Monday night and was being questioned.
Shakil Islam, member secretary of the Gurudaspur pourashava unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, died at Bangladesh Medical University at around 8:15pm on Monday, 12 days after being critically injured in an attack by assailants. Following his death, police stepped up efforts to identify those responsible for the attack.
Several Chhatra Dal sources said the lawmaker’s two sons have separate groups of followers and supporters, and there is rivalry between the two groups. Shakil, who died after the attack, was a follower of the lawmaker’s younger son, Mahmuduzzaman.
According to police sources, Natore District Detective Branch (DB) police took Nuruzzaman into custody on Monday night following Shakil’s death.
He was initially taken to Gurudaspur Police Station before being transferred to the DB office in Natore district headquarters, where he was questioned.
Abdul Hannan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Gurudaspur Police Station, confirmed that the lawmaker’s son had been taken into police custody for questioning.
Prothom Alo also spoke to Nazrul Islam, an inspector with the Natore District Detective Branch. At around 11:30am on Tuesday, he said, “The matter is under investigation. So, we cannot disclose anything about it at this stage.”
At the time this report was being written, at 1pm on Tuesday, Nuruzzaman was at the Natore DB office. He is a joint convener of the Gurudaspur upazila unit of Jubo Dal. His younger brother, Mahmuduzzaman, is a former joint secretary of the Gurudaspur upazila unit of the BNP.
Shakil Islam, member secretary of the Gurudaspur pourashava unit of Chhatra Dal, was killed following the attack.
Shakil was critically injured when assailants attacked him with sharp weapons at around 10:30pm on 14 October as he was returning from the local Chachkoir Bazar.
Local residents rescued him and took him to the upazila health complex. He was later transferred to Rajshahi and subsequently to Bangladesh Medical Hospital in Dhaka. He died while undergoing treatment at the hospital at around 8:15pm on Monday
Following the attack, Shakil’s father, Rabiul Karim, filed a case with Gurudaspur Police Station on 19 October, accusing eight to 10 unidentified people.
Shakil posted on Facebook about security concerns
On 20 April, Chhatra Dal leader Shakil Islam posted a message on his Facebook account expressing fears for his safety.
“I am very worried about my life. An elder brother has been contacting various circles and groups to have me killed. Apparently, those who can kill me will be paid a large sum of money. I spoke to the OC about this and filed a general diary (GD) at the police station, mentioning their names. If anything happens to me, please file a case based on that GD,” he wrote.
Asked about the Facebook post, Natore district Detective Branch Inspector Nazrul Islam declined to provide details. However, he said the investigation was taking all aspects into consideration.
Abdul Aziz visited the home of Shakil Islam in the Kacharipara area near Gurudaspur upazila headquarters on Tuesday morning.
He offered condolences to Shakil’s father, Rabiul Karim, and other family members.
He also pledged to ensure a proper investigation into the killing and that justice would be served.