Second Victim Dies Following Deadly Attack on Student Activists in Gaibandha

SALAIDDIN, 26, an activist of the Chhatra Shibir, succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning at a hospital in Dhaka, 47 days after he was attacked in Gaibandha’s Saghata Upazila. His death marks the second fatality resulting from the June 21 assault.

The death was confirmed by Saghata Upazila Chhatra Shibir President Sajedur Rahman. Salauddin had been receiving medical treatment since the incident occurred at the Bonarpara intersection, where he and another Shibir activist, 24-year-old Saifullah Bari, were targeted. Bari died on the day of the attack.

The violence originated from a dispute over the formation of the management committee for the Kochua Government Primary School. Police and local sources reported that Mokhleshur Rahman, also known as Mukul Mia, the convener of the Bonarpara Union Juba Dal, had a verbal altercation with the school’s headmaster, Habibullah, at the Saghata Upazila Parishad premises. Although local leaders initially brokered a settlement, the tension escalated shortly thereafter.

Witnesses alleged that Mokhleshur Rahman, accompanied by 10 to 12 individuals, confronted Bari and Salauddin at the Bonarpara intersection. During the assault, the attackers reportedly used sharp weapons to strike Salauddin in the neck. When Bari attempted to intervene, he was pursued and similarly attacked near the Union Parishad office. The assailants fled the scene on motorcycles.

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Bari was declared dead upon arrival at the Gaibandha General Hospital. Salauddin was initially transported to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura before being transferred to Ibn Sina Hospital in Dhaka as his condition deteriorated.

Following the attack, Bari’s father, Habibur Rahman, filed a murder case at the Saghata Police Station on June 22. The complaint names six individuals and includes an additional 14 to 15 unidentified suspects. In response to the incident, the district Juba Dal expelled Mokhleshur Rahman for violating party discipline.

Saghata Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mahbub Alam confirmed that five suspects, including the primary accused Mokhleshur Rahman, have been arrested in connection with the murder case. Law enforcement officials stated that operations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects.