Terrorists Killed University Don In Bangladesh Over Alleged Pro-Atheism Campaign

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, World News Sunday, April 24th, 2016

A Bangladesh University Professor Rezaul Karim Siddique has been hacked to death by suspected terrorists.

The Police claimed killing of 58 years-old Professor of English was similar to assassination of several secular bloggers and atheists by suspected extremists.

Siddique, who teaches at the Rajshahi University in the country’s North-West, was allegedly attacked with machetes as he left home to go to work.

The so-called Islamic State militants have claimed responsibility, saying they killed him for “calling to atheism” in Bangladesh.

The claim was made via IS-linked Amaq Agency, cited by US-based SITE Intelligence Group which monitors jihadist groups.

In a counter, Siddique’s colleagues replied that the late academia had not written anything controversial and was not an atheist, unlike previous victims.

Police have submitted Prof Siddique might have been targeted of his assailants due to his involvement in cultural activities, acts allegedly disliked by the terrorists.

In her reaction, late Siddique’s wife, Hosne Ara, bemoaned that she had no idea of why anyone would want to kill her husband.

The wife restated that her husband didn’t have any personal enmity with anyone, thus she could not come to terms why he was gruesomely killed.

The latest killing has prompted protest by many students of the University, who demanded immediate arrest of the perpetrators.

Professor Siddique is the fourth don at the university to be killed in the past 12 years. The reason for the victims’ killing is yet to be determined and no one convict has been held or punished over the disturbing trend.

It would be recalled four prominent secular bloggers were killed with machetes last year, while members of JMB were arrested over an assault on an Italian Catholic priest late 2015.