13 eminent citizens slam killing of bloggers

The law enforcers' failure to bring to book the murderers of four bloggers has encouraged the killing of Niladri Chattopadhyay, eminent citizens said.

In a statement yesterday, they also demanded that the government arrest the killers of all the online activists, including Niladri, and ensure speedy trial. 

Before Niladri's murder on Friday, Ahmed Rajib Haidar was killed in February 2013, Avijit Roy in February this year, Oyasiqur Rahman Babu in March and Ananta Bijoy Das in May.

The citizens said that after each murder, they along with the people of the country demanded justice but to no avail. As a result, the perpetrators had gained the audacity to kill Niladri in broad daylight entering his East Goran flat in the capital.

Niladri went to Shahjahanpur and Khilgaon 

police stations to file a general diary over the death threats he had received from anonymous callers before Ramadan this year. But the police allegedly refused to record the complaint and advised him instead to leave the country, noted the statement, signed by Saleh Ahmed, general secretary of social movement platform Sammilita Samajik Andolon.

Over the past couple of years, a group of religious extremists has been out killing free thinkers and online bloggers.

The signatories said they were against hurting any particular religious belief but resorting to murder should also not be a way to express grievances. Killing somebody in the name of protecting the religion is against the core values of Islam.

"The act of killing is medieval savagery."

The signatories are Prof Ajoy Roy, father of Avijit Roy; Prof Anisuzzaman, Sultana Kamal, Kazi Ebadul Hoque, Akbar Ali Khan, Kamal Lohani, Sarwar Ali, Abed Khan, Ramendu Majumdar, Prof MM Akash, Ziauddin Tareque Ali, Prof Noor Mohammad Talukdar and Ajoy Roy.