Islami Andolan Bangladesh Leader Dies Under Bus While Celebrating Awami League’s Fall

Local correspondent

A leader of the Islamic Movement of Bangladesh (IABA), Rezaul Karim (38), was killed when he was hit by a bus on the Barisal-Kuakata regional highway while returning home after participating in a program marking the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Awami League government through militant attacks in July-August.

He was the general secretary of Gulishakhali Union’s e-Abar and a lecturer in ICT at Amtoli Bandar Hossainia Fazil Degree Madrasa.

He was killed by a bus while returning home on a motorcycle after a program at around 6 pm yesterday.

The deceased, Rezaul Karim, was the son of Md. Nurul Haque of Gochkhali village in Gulishakhali union of Amtoli upazila of Barguna.

According to police and local sources, IABA leader Rezaul was returning home from Amtoli on a motorcycle along the Barisal-Kuakata regional highway at 6 pm when a Dhaka-bound Chanda Paribahan bus hit his motorcycle from behind near Ghatkhali Bridge, killing him on the spot.

Then, party leaders and activists blocked the road demanding the arrest of the bus driver and helper.

At that time, when the Amtali Upazila Fire Service went to recover the body, IABA leaders and activists stopped them. Hundreds of cars were stuck on both sides of the road due to the road blockade. Severe traffic jams were created over several kilometers on both sides of the road. After two hours, when they left the road, traffic flow returned to normal.

On Wednesday, instead of burying Rezaul’s body, the teachers and students of Amtali’s Hossainia Fazil Degree Madrasa, led by IAAR District President Mizanur Rahman, blocked the Barisal-Kuakata regional highway. This created a severe traffic jam. As a result, passengers and pedestrians suffered greatly along the 5-kilometer stretch of the road in vehicles coming from different parts of the country.

In this regard, E-Abar Barguna District President Mizanur Rahman said, “We have lost Rezaul Karim. The driver and helper must be arrested. We will not bury Rezaul’s body unless the bus company compensates his family. The program will continue.”

Amtali Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Dewan Jaglul Hasan said that although the bus has been seized, the driver and helper are absconding.

He said that when the leaders of the Patuakhali Bus Owners Association come, discussions will be held with them, and it is hoped that a fair solution will be found.

However, BNP leaders have reacted strongly to this. Some senior leaders, who did not want to be named, called the incident an example of business and extortion with corpses. They said that the leaders of the Islamic Movement of Bangladesh have started business with corpses to extort a large amount of money from the Patuakhali Bus Owners Association.