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Mujahidul Islam, also known as Bulbul, 45, a local leader of Islami Jubo Andolan Bangladesh (IJAB) in Narayanganj’s Bandar area, was hacked to death on Thursday night. He was attacked in the Salehnagar area around 10pm. Police have arrested a man in connection with the killing.
On Friday morning, leaders and activists of Islami Andolan Bangladesh blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway in protest of Mujahidul’s murder. The blockade halted traffic for around half an hour, causing long queues of vehicles on both sides of the highway. Police later went to the spot and removed the protesters, allowing traffic to resume.
Mujahidul was the son of the late Raja Master of the Shahi Mosque Thakur Bari area in Bandar. He served as the law and human rights affairs secretary of the Bandar thana unit of Islami Jubo Andolan Bangladesh. He was also the complainant in a case filed over an attack on participants of the anti-discrimination student movement.
According to relatives and local sources, Mujahidul had actively participated in the anti-discrimination student movement in August 2024. Following his involvement in the movement, his rickshaw garage was attacked and looted. His relatives said 18 rickshaws were stolen from the garage.
On August 20, 2024, Mujahidul filed a case with Bandar Police Station against several people, including Sheikh Sifat. Sifat was named as accused No. 6 in the case. Relatives alleged that Mujahidul had been pressured to withdraw the case and had also received death threats.
Around 10pm on Thursday, several people allegedly surrounded Mujahidul when they found him alone in the Salehnagar area. At one point, they repeatedly attacked him with sharp weapons before fleeing, leaving him critically injured on the road. Local residents rescued him and took him to Narayanganj General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
News of Mujahidul’s killing sparked tension in Bandar. Local residents and Islami Andolan activists took to the streets at night and staged protests, including setting tires on fire.
At one point, protesters allegedly attacked, vandalized and set fire to the homes of Sheikh Sifat and his relatives, who were accused of involvement in the killing. Additional police were deployed in and around the area to bring the situation under control.
On Friday morning, Islami Andolan activists and local residents took positions on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway and began protesting. They set tires on fire and blocked the highway, bringing traffic to a halt. Police later intervened and dispersed the protesters, after which traffic resumed following a blockade lasting about 30 minutes.