Dwoha Chowdhury, Sylhet

On the afternoon of March 3, 2018, renowned educationist and writer Dr Muhammed Zafar Iqbal was attacked by a youth with a knife at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Sust) in Sylhet.

The attacker, Foyzul Hasan, was caught red-handed. A case was filed later that day, and Foyzul confessed before the court. The charge-sheet was pressed on May 6 that year, and trial of the case started on March 21, 2019.

However, after two years, the case is still under trial at the Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal in Sylhet, and only a handful witness testimonies was recorded till February 9.

Abdul Majid, assistant public prosecutor of the tribunal, said, “The next date of the case is scheduled on March 9. I can’t confirm how many witness testimonies were recorded, but we’re satisfied with the progress, after interruption due to the pandemic.”

“On February 9, testimony of one witness was recorded, and we’re waiting for Dr Zafar Iqbal to testify before the court soon,” he said.

On the day of the attack, during the EEE Festival of SUST’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Dr Zafar Iqbal was sitting on Muktamancha, near the handball ground of the campus.

He was surrounded by his students, and police officers for personal protection, but the attacker, Foyzul, managed to sneak into the crowd, stood behind the professor and suddenly started stabbing at Dr Iqbal’s head, shoulder and back.

Police and other students immediately caught Foyzul and beat him up.

Critically injured Dr Iqbal was rushed to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, and after primary treatment, he was sent to Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka.

The attacker was also taken to Jalalabad Ragib-Rabeya Medical College, and later Combined Military Hospital in Sylhet for treatment.

That night, Mohd Ishfaqul Hussain, the university’s registrar, filed a case with Jalalabad Police Station, accusing Foyzul.

In the case statement, the registrar mentioned that the accused said he attacked the professor as Foyzul considered him to be an atheist and enemy of Islam. The accused also believed in ideologies of banned militant outfit Ansar-al-Islam.

WAS FOYZUL ANSAR-AL-ISLAM OR SELF RADICALISED?

Even though the case statement mentioned that Foyzul was a believer of Ansar-al-Islam’s ideology, the case’s investigation officer later stated that he was self-radicalised and not an active member of any militant outfit.

However, he was greatly influenced by ideologies of Ansar-al-Islam and another banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team, especially of the outfit’s founder and radical Islamic cleric Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani.

The case was investigated by Inspector Md Shafiqul Islam of Jalalabad Police Station, and he pressed the charge-sheet on May 6, 2018.

In the charge-sheet, Foyzul, his associate Sohag Miah of Sunamganj’s Derai upazila, father Mawlana Atiqur Rahman, mother Minara Begum, uncle Mawlana Fazlur Rahman and brother Enamul Hasan are accused.