Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
Professor Dr. Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, who came under a serious knife attack on Shahjalal University of Science and Technology premises on Saturday afternoon, is undergoing treatment at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka.
He is now conscious, and to stay at the hospital ‘for a few days’ till getting well, said a doctor at the CMH.
“To avoid any kind of infection, no visitors will be allowed to visit the eminent writer at the hospital,” Major General Munshi Md Mojibur Rahman, Chief Cardiac Surgeon and Consultant Surgeon General of Bangladesh Armed Forces, told reporters in a press briefing at the CMH Headquarters on Sunday morning.
“Currently he is out of danger although he suffered four blows to his head, an injury to his back and an injury to his left hand,” the doctor said.
An air ambulance flew to the capital with Professor Zafar Iqbal on the directives from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He reached the CMH in Dhaka at 1:49am, said an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) text message.
Zafar Iqbal was injured in a knife attack by a youth, aged around 25, at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) on Saturday afternoon. The youth, identified as Foyzur Rahman, was caught red-handed after the attack at about 5:30pm on the university campus, said our local correspondent quoting police.
He was initially treated at MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital in Sylhet where he had to be administered 27 stitches and was given two bags of blood.
“We want him to get well soon and quickly return to the campus,” his wife Yesmeen Huq, who is also a professor of the university, said while talking to reporters at Dhaka Combined Military Hospital.
Zafar Iqbal made the first phone call to his wife soon after he came under the knife attack and let her and their daughter know of the attack and that he was doing alright. I was attacked but I am fine. I am being taken to the hospital,” she said.
She expressed deep satisfaction for the overall government measures, including taking him to the CMH in Dhaka, for better treatment.
“I would like to convey my sincere thanks to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for looking after the incident in person and bringing my husband immediately to Dhaka for his better treatment,” she added.
Seeking people’s blessings for her husband’s early recovery, Yasmeen Huq, also expressed profound gratitude to Osmani Medical College Hospital authorities for providing treatment to Iqbal with utmost sincerity.
She said there is no need to take him abroad for better treatment as “I have absolute faith in the country’s health system.”
“It was a sudden attack. So there is no scope to blame the law enforcers or the government for negligence over the incident. The government had been providing security to Iqbal and her since they received death threats for several times,” she added.
Meanwhile, Foyzur told the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) that he launched the attack as he considered Dr Iqbal an enemy of Islam, Ali Haydar Mohammad Azad, Commanding Officer (CO) of RAB-9 in Sylhet told reporters at a briefing on Sunday. The suspect claimed that he was working alone but RAB was not buying it, the CO said, adding they were investigating if he was involved with any radical group.
Police and RAB jointly raided Foyzur’s Sheikhpara home in Kumargaon area adjacent to the university, said Munadir Islam Chowdhury, Assistant Commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police.
The attacker was identified as Faizur Rahman, son of mawlana Atikur Rahman, a resident of Kaliar Kapon, of Derai upazila in Sunamganj district and a madrasa student. He has been residing with his family members at Sheikhpara in Kumargaon area of the city. His father teaches at Tukerbazar Mahila Madrasa, the AC said.
Nobody was at home and the house was locked, the police officials aid. Police detained his maternal uncle Fozlur Rahman from his house nearby, said Officer-in-Charge Shafiqur Rahman of Jalalabad Police Station.
A top official of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of DMP said they sent a team to Sylhet for investigation.
The attacker of Dr. Zafar Iqbal has been identified as Foyzur Rahman, a madrasa student. Foyzur, the bearded youth aged around 25, according to him.
Meanwhile, a three-member probe committee formed on Sunday evening to investigate the attack on Zafar Iqbal, said Farid Uddin Ahmed, SUST Vice-Chancellor.
Professor Dr. Abdul Gani has been made the chief of the probe committee and others two members are Professor Saiful Islam of Chemistry department and Professor Dr. Shahidur Rahman of Computer science and engineering department of the university. The SUST authorities have lodged a complaint with Jalalabad Police Station over the attack on professor Muhammed Zafar Iqbal.
The SUST Registrar Ishfaqul Hossain lodged the complaint on Saturday night, said Jalalabad Police Station OC Shafiqur Rahman.
A complaint was lodged accusing an unknown person but case has not yet been filed. Investigation is on in this regard, the OC said. Police, in separate raids, detained two relatives of attacker Fayzur, said our local correspondent quoting Jalalabad Police Station OC Shafiqur Rahman.
In a raid, police detained Fayzur’s maternal uncle Fazlur Rahman from his house in Shikhpara area near Kumargaon Bus Stand adjacent to the university in Saturday midnight.
In another raid on Sunday morning, law enforcers detained his paternal uncle Abdul Kahar, 50, from their village home at Jagadal in Dirai upazila of Sunamganj.
In the meantime, denying any lapse in the security of Dr Zafar Iqbal, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Sunday said police are investigating the incident to find out the reason.
“There was no lapse in the security measures during the incident of attack on Professor Dr Zafar Iqbal…Police have already arrested an attacker,” he said, speaking at a function in city’s Purbo Rajabazar area.
The minister said, “Police are investigating the incident…The motive of the attack will be known soon.”
On the other hand, people from all walks of life, mostly students, on Sunday protested the attack on the eminent writer Prof Zafar Iqbal.
Around 3,000 students of the SUST formed a human chain on the campus. They submitted two memorandums to the government and will also launch a mass signature campaign later in the day, reports our Sylhet correspondent.
In Chittagong University, the students and teachers also formed a human chain in front of Bangabandhu Chattar demanding exemplary punishment of the culprits.
In Bogra, people from all walks of life including freedom fighters, members of civil society, workers of different socio-cultural organisations, students and journalists formed a human chain to protest the attack at Satmatha in the town.
Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, a local villager, told The New Nation, “Faizul used to visit Kaliyarkapon village quite often and sold clothes around the neighbourhood. However, we have not seen him for the past two years. He was a student at the Dhol Madrasa of the village.
