B’desh teachers, politicians on extremists’ hit list

Dhaka, May 3 

A Bangladeshi extremist outfit has released a new hit list naming 10 persons, including the head of a university and ruling party politicians, prompting the police to launch a probe and provide security cover to those named in the list.

The Islamic Liberation Front (ILF), an organisation that aims to establish Islamic Khilafat in the country, yesterday issued a hit list naming 10 renowned persons, including Rajshahi University Vice-Chancellor M Mizanuddin and former mayor Khairuzzaman Liton.

The group claimed that they began a mission to kill the 10 persons in the list.

The ILF sent the letter to the president of the Natore Press Club from Rajshahi. Natore Press Club president Rezaul Karim Reza said an envelope containing a computer-composed letter on an ILF pad reached the press club by post, Independent Bangladesh newspaper reported.

Apart from Mizanuddin and Liton, others named in the list include Rajshahi lawmaker Fazle Hossain Badsha, Rajshahi district unit Secretary Asaduzzaman and journalist Anu Mostafa, it said.

Natore Superintendent of Police Shyamol Mukherjee said they had beefed up intelligence activities in the district and were investigating the matter.

“The Islami Liberation Group is unknown to us but we are taking the threat seriously. Steps are being taken to provide protection to the persons named in the list,” a police officer in Rajshahi told a TV channel.

The threat to the Rajshahi University VC comes weeks after a professor from the same university AFM Rezaul Karim Siddiquee, 58, was killed by motorbike-borne assailants on April 23.

Siddiquee’s murder led to widespread protests by teachers and students from the university who condemned the attack and voiced concerns of their colleagues’ security. There have been systematic assaults in Bangladesh in recent months specially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners.

Last year, four prominent secular bloggers were killed with machetes, one inside his own home. In February, a head priest was killed at a Hindu temple in an area bordering India, the first attack by the IS targeting the community. — PTI