RAJSHAHI UNIVERSITY, Nov 16: Ansar-al Islam Bangladesh-2, a new pro-Islamist organisation, has claimed responsibility of murdering the Rajshahi University (RU) teacher, Prof AKM Shafiul Islam Lelin.
The outfit has claimed the responsibility in a Facebook status by saying: "Prof AKM Shafiul Islam has been killed for his activities against Islam".
Ansar-al Islam made the claim a few hours after the killing of the teacher.
Meanwhile, law enforcers have arrested two persons for interrogation in connection with the murder.
Officer in-Charge (OC) of Motihar Police Station Alamgir Hossain said two locals, named Habib and Dipu, were held on Sunday morning.
The arrestees were now facing interrogation, the OC said.
Some unidentified miscreants stabbed Prof Dr A K M Shafiul Alam Lelin, a teacher of Sociology Department at Rajshahi University, to death on Saturday afternoon near his house in Chowddopai area adjacent to the campus.
Lelin was then taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) for emergency surgery where doctors declared him dead at about 3:30 pm.
UNB adds: State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Sunday said the motive behind the killing would be unearthed in two to three days.
"Our intelligence agencies are working to debunk the motive behind the killing and you'll know it soon," said the state minister while talking to reporters at the Secretariat on Sunday.
Replying to a question Asaduzzaman said, "It's not clear yet whether it's a political murder or not, but our detectives are working to unfold the motive and identify the killers."
Responding to a question about 'Ansar Al Islam Bangladesh' who claimed responsibility for the murder in a Facebook post, the minister said, "We have no information about any such group."
According to bdnews24.com, four people, including Islamia College's Principal Humayun Ahmed, have been detained over the killing.
Ahmed was picked up from Binodpur adjacent to the university campus on Sunday, Matihar police OC Alamgir Hossain said.
Islamia College is a stronghold of Jamaat-e-Islami's student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir.
Metropolitan detective police's OC Abdul Majid said three others were detained during Sunday's raid but he did not disclose their identities.
He said they were questioning the four over the murder. Police on Saturday detained two persons hours after killing.
RU teachers have boycotted all classes and examinations protesting their colleague's murder.
OC Hossain said preliminary investigations had suggested that two assailants took part in Saturday's attack.
Rajshahi University Teachers' Association (Ruta) and some other organisations staged demonstrations on the campus on Sunday demanding arrest and exemplary punishment to the killers of Prof AKM Shafiul Islam.
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