Police today detained nine suspects, including the prime suspect, over the killing of an Islami Jubo Andolan leader in Narayanganj's Bandar on Thursday night.
Bulbul Ahmed, 35, of Shahi Mosque area of Ward 21 and the joint secretary of the Bandar (West) unit of Islami Jubo Andolan, was killed in an attack allegedly carried out by members of a local teen gang, said police and party men.
The killing ignited protests this morning and demonstrators blocked a section of the Dhaka-Chattogram highway for two hours. The blockade was finally lifted at 11:00am after police assured protesters that nine people, including the key suspect, were in custody over the murder.
Among the detainees were Sheikh Sifat, alias "Kata Sifat", a suspected leader of a teen gang.
Bandar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Jamal Uddin said Bulbul was attacked with sharp weapons in Salehnagar around 8:00pm last night. He was first taken to Bandar Upazila Health Complex and later shifted to Narayanganj General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
According to Islami Andolan leaders, Bulbul had earlier filed a case against Sifat and his associates after his garage was attacked and looted during the anti‑discrimination student movement. The party men alleged that Thursday’s attack was carried out in retaliation.
Mufti Masum Billah, vice president of Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Narayanganj city unit, said, “Sifat’s group had tried to attack him before as well. After Maghrib prayers, they attacked him with sharp weapons and left him seriously injured.”
Locals and police alleged that Sifat, also from the same area, led a teen gang and was a follower of absconding Jubo League leader, Khan Masud, who is accused in several cases of armed attacks and killings.
On Friday morning, IAB activists and its associate bodies blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Modonpur area around 9:00am, burning tyres, bamboo, and wood. The blockade caused several kilometres of tailbacks on both sides of the highway.
Protesters demanded the immediate arrest of Sifat and his associates.
Khalid Saifullah, an activist livestreaming the protest, said, “We want those responsible for Bulbul’s murder to be hanged publicly.”
Police later confirmed their detention. At 10:45am, Bandar Police Station OC Jamal Uddin confirmed that Sifat and eight others had been detained. By 11:00am, Kanchpur Highway Police OC Shamim Sheikh said the blockade had been lifted and traffic had resumed.
The OC said the body was kept at Narayanganj General Hospital morgue for autopsy.
“We have initially learned that the killing was the result of previous enmity. The family has alleged the involvement of a teen gang in the killing. A murder case is being filed over the incident,” he added.
