Staff Reporter :
A aide of a Peer (spiritual leader) was hacked to death by unidentified criminals at Tanor Upazila in Rajshahi on Friday night.
The deceased was identified as Shahidullah, 65, a resident of Mahanandakhali area of Nowhata Municipality of Poba Upazila. He was follower of ‘Peer Imam Mahadi’ of Goalondo Upazila in Rajbari district.
Witnesses and police said, Shahidullah was found dead in a mango orchard. The miscreant slit throat and stabbed his right arm. When contacted, Abdur Razzak, Officer-in-Charge of Tanor Police Station said police recovered the body after being informed by locals on Friday evening. “It seems he was hacked first and then slaughtered.”
He added local people spotted Shahidullah’s slaughtered body in the mango orchard of local Abul Hasan in the area in the evening and informed police.
This killing is the latest in the spate of grisly murders that has been haunting the northern region since last year. Recently, a Rajshahi University Professor was murdered in similar fashion in the district.
Talking to journalists, victim’s son Russel Ahmed said that his father went missing on Friday morning when he was going to Rohonpur Golabari village in Gomostapur Upazila in Chapainawabganj district.
“But my father did not return home. My father was a follower of “Torika Ponthi” (a particular spiritual path) and might have had enmity with followers of other path,” he said. Russel also said his father had a long standing dispute with one Piar Ali of the area over a land.
“My father might have been killed over the land related dispute or for being a follower of the Peer,” he added. Victim’s son Russel Ahmed filed a case in this connection with Tanor Police Station. Police also seized a bag which was found near the body. The body was sent to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for an autopsy.
The northern region has been plagued by at least 14 untoward incidents for the past seven months that relate to militancy and resulted in death of at least six people, including a foreigner.
There have been attacks on temples of the Hindu minority, mosques belonging to Shia minority and murder attempts of Christian pastors and others.
Responsibility of all those attacks, bomb blasts and killings have been claimed by militants.
