Staff Reporter :Hundreds of protesters rallied in Dhaka city on Friday to denounce the murder of blogger Avijit Roy, chanting slogans “we want justice” and “raise your voice against militants”. Machete-wielding assailants hacked to death Roy, a U.S. citizen of Bangladeshi origin, and his wife and also fellow blogger, Rafida Ahmed Bannya, on Thursday while returning from a book fair at Suhrawardy Udyan. Bannya was also seriously injured. The protesters issued a 24-hour-ultimatum to arrest the killers from a rally organised by students, teachers and bloggers at Teacher Student Centre (TSC) of the Dhaka University in the morning.They warned that the government will be responsible if the culprits are not arrested by the timeframe.The demonstrators said fundamentalist groups are involved in the killing and slammed the law enforcement agencies for their inaction to arrest the masterminds. They said the attack was aimed at stopping freedom of thought and democracy.A number of left-leaning student organizations, including Chhatra Union, Chhatra Federation and Chhatra Front, were present at the protest programme.Avijit’s father Professor Ajoy Roy on Friday alleged that militant organizations, including Jamaat-e-Islam, killed writer and blogger Avijit Roy. He also filed a case with Shahbagh Police over the murder.Police are yet to arrest anyone in this connection.Ajoy Roy sought the justice to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to ensure exemplary punishment of the killers of his son. He said police have all information who killed Avijit Roy. It does not require more than 24 hours to arrest the killers.Avijit, who was living in the United States, came to home to attend the launching of his two books in the Amar Ekushey Book Fair.”I asked him not to come home as the situation in the country is not good,” Ajoy said.Asked about threat of killing, Avijit’s father said, “So far I know he did not receive any threat after he had reached Dhaka. But he received threat before his arrival”. Imran H Sarkar-led faction of Gonojagoron Mancha staged a protest in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh, and announced to remain on the street until the culprits are arrested.Writer Humayun Azad and blogger Ahmed Rajib Haidar were also killed by the fundamentalists, Imran told the programme.
