JOURNALIST KILLING Mayor Halim arrested amid protests [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

JOURNALIST KILLING Mayor Halim arrested amid protests

Local February 06, 2017

Police arrested Shahjadpur municipality mayor Halimul Haque Miru as prime suspect into killing of Shahjadpur journalist Abdul Hakim Shimul, on Sunday evening at a location at Shyamoli in the capital, Dhaka, police said.
Shahjadpur police station officer-in-charge, Rezaul Karim told New Age that the mayor was arrested in Dhaka and would be taken to Shahjadpur as per directions coming from the higher police officials.
Meanwhile, protests against shooting death of Samakal correspondent of Sirajganj continued in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country amid police claim that they were looking for the mayor.
Halimul is ruling Awami League backed Shahjadpur municipality mayor and also an organising secretary of Sirajganj district unit of AL.
The protest also flared across various university campuses, district and unpazila headquarters and the capital city, seeking justice over killing the 43-year-old correspondent. He was shot on February 2 and died the following day on his way to Dhaka for treatment.
Shimul was snapping photos of the mayor and his supporters brandishing firearms during an intra-party clash over a road construction deal.
Until Sunday evening, police investigators had arrested eight people, including the mayor’s two brothers, and AL leader, KM Nasir Uddin.
The eight suspects held at different times were sent to jail.
Rezaul also said the remand hearing of the suspects would be held on February 13 before a judicial magistrate court.
New Age Sirajgnaj correspondent reported that police seized the passport, national identification card and bank documents of the runaway mayor.
Shahjadpur police station inspector (investigation) Monir Hossain seized the mayor’s personal documents. Earlier, police had seized his shotgun, 43 bullets and an empty cartridge.
Police were examining his shotgun and pellets and other material evidences.

‘It will take us two months to get reports relating to the weapon, including its ballistic test,’ said Shahjadpur police chief.
The journalist’s widow Nurunnahar had filed a murder case with Shahjadpur police station on Friday night, accusing the mayor, his two brothers, Habibul Haque Minto and Hasibul Haque Pintu, and 15 others while another case was filed following the Thursday’s clash.
New Age correspondent in Sirajganj also reported that the Shahjadpur upazila unit Awami League in Sirajganj on Sunday recommended for expelling municipality mayor, Halimul Haque Miru, and KM Nasir Uddin, a member of the upazila unit AL, from the party over the homicide.
The decision was made at an emergency meeting of the upazila unit of AL as the duo grossly violated the party discipline, said Hasibur Rahman Swapan, a lawmaker of Shahjadpur constituency.
A letter would be sent to this end immediately to the district Awami League, he added.
Abdul Latif Biswas, president of Sirajganj district unit Awami League, said they were yet to get any letter recommending expulsion of the duo.
‘We, after getting the letter in hand, will forward the letter to the central unit of the party, and they will make decision over the matter,’ Latif said.
A police official probing into the shooting death said on Saturday that ruling Awami League-backed municipality mayor in Shahjadpur had opened fire, defying police directive on February 2, during a fierce factional clash.
Journalists’ professional bodies in Dhaka also protested against the killing. The daily Samakal family formed a human chain in front of Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.
New Age Munshiganj correspondent reported that people from all walks of life joined a human chain in Sirajdikhan upazila headquarters to protest against the killing. They also had demanded immediate arrest of the mayor.
Our correspondent in Pabna reported that the protesters formed a human chain in front of Pabna Press Club in the district headquarters while Iswardi press club also organised a protest rally in Iswardi town.
An hour-long human chain was formed in Lakshmipur district headquarters, New Age correspondent reported while Shariatpur and Feni correspondents said that they also formed a human chains.
Jahangirnagar University correspondent reported their journalist association on Sunday staged a demonstration, protesting against the killing.
Addressing the human chain, university’s arts and humanities faculty dean, Mozammal Haque, said any impunity encourages killings and assaulting the journalists across the country.
Our Correspondent in Kurigram reported that a human chain was formed in front of the district press club to protest against the killing.
Since CPJ began keeping records in 1992, at least 20 journalists had been killed in Bangladesh while performing professionally.