Human Chain and Highway Blockade in Magura Demanding Justice for Slain Jubo Dal Leader Shaker; Mystery Unsolved After Three Days
Police still do not know why Jubo Dal leader Shaker Hossain (39) was shot dead at the Royal Paribahan counter at Magura municipality's central bus terminal. Three days after the incident, the mystery of the killing remains unsolved. In protest, and demanding punishment for those involved, local residents held a human chain and blocked roads in Magura town on Saturday afternoon.
Shaker Hossain was shot at around 5:30 am last Wednesday while on duty at the Royal Paribahan counter at the bus terminal. He later died. He was the senior joint convener of the Magura municipal Jubo Dal and worked as a counter master.
Demanding the arrest of the real killers and justice for Shaker, a human chain was formed at around 11 am on Saturday on the road beside the Superintendent of Police's office in Magura town. The programme was organised on behalf of the residents of municipal wards 5 and 6.
Leaders of the district BNP and its associate organisations also joined the human chain. They warned law enforcement agencies against diverting the investigation in another direction by concealing the real facts.
Speakers said bigger programmes would be announced if the mystery of the killing was not solved quickly and the real accused were not arrested. They also called on journalists to report on the incident responsibly.
During the programme, protesters blocked the road from Chowrangi Mor to Keshab Mor in the town for about 45 minutes. Then, at around 12 noon, they set tyres on fire and blockaded the Dhaka-Khulna highway at the Dhaka Road bus stand and Parnanduali areas of the municipality.
Traffic on the highway remained stopped from 12 noon for about an hour and a half, creating tailbacks at both ends of the highway. On receiving the news, a police team led by Magura Assistant Superintendent of Police Nishat Al Nahian spoke with the blockaders.
Speaking about the progress of the investigation, Assistant Superintendent of Police Nishat Al Nahian said: 'The deceased young man had no personal or political enemies. There is no clear footage of the scene, nor any specifically identified accused. We are investigating from various angles, as if groping in the dark. All CCTV cameras and various hotels are being monitored day and night, and many people are being questioned.'
At the police officer's request, the protesters withdrew the highway blockade at around 1:30 pm.
On the night after the incident, the slain Shaker Hossain's wife filed a murder case at Sadar Police Station against unnamed persons. That same night, police arrested two suspects, Roni Sikdar (38) and Shamima Tabassum (31). Roni Sikdar is a member of the Dhaka Metropolitan South Jubo Dal convening committee.
Asked about the two detainees' involvement, the police official said: 'So far we have detained two people as suspects, but it cannot yet be said that they were directly involved. If all the information of the investigation is disclosed in public, the real accused may get the chance to flee and evidence may be destroyed. So we need some time for a proper investigation and to unravel the mystery.'
Three days on, police still have neither the motive for the murder, nor clear footage, nor an identified accused. After the warning of bigger programmes from the human chain, all eyes are now on the progress of the investigation.
