Bangladesh Secular blogger killed in Dhaka

Prior to today’s murder, the most recent victim was Ananta Bijoy Das, a 33-year-old banker who was attacked by a group of masked men on the morning of May 12 in the northeastern city of Sylhet.

The tribunal became a divisive political issue, and a “hit list” naming 84 bloggers who were said to be atheists circulated among Islamist groups.

“At least, this can?t be done in Bangladesh…We won?t allow this in the country”, she said while speaking at a function organised by Women and Child Affairs Ministry here.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) tweeted its plans to launch an independent investigation into Niloy Neel’s killing.

“Niloy used to write blogs for different social media using pseudonym Niloy Neel”, said the police officer.

Ansar al-Islam, the Bangladeshi branch of al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent, claimed responsibility for the murder, calling Neel “an enemy of Allah”.

Murdered Bangladeshi blogger Niloy Chatterjee. “And we have already said that their passivity is tantamount to giving a blank cheque to those responsible for these extremely violent crimes”.

A spokesman for the police chief defended his boss, saying although freedom of speech was enshrined in the constitution, bloggers “should speak responsibly”.

Assailants in February had killed 45-year-old Avijit Roy, a Bangladesh-born US national, while his wife narrowly escaped the attack. “One after another, bloggers are being killed and yet there is no action to stop these murderers”, said protester Sarker of the Bangladesh Blogger and Activist Network. They stated he was a secular blogger and had a Fb account with the identify “Niloy Neel” through which he criticized radical Islamists at residence and overseas.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the European Union delegation to Bangladesh have strongly denounced the “vile aggression” committed against Niladri Chatterjee Niloy and urged the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The BBC’s Akbar Hossain in Dhaka says Mr Neel had filed a police report expressing fear for his life, but his complaints had not been not followed up.

He went on, “Those who are free thinkers and writers, I will request them, please make sure that we don’t cross the line.

When civil rights are hindered in such manner, the government ought to take some special measures particularly for the group of people who are targeted”, said Hammadi.

Police arrested one suspect in Roy’s killing, while two of Rahman’s assailants – both students at a religious school – were caught at the scene of the crime.

“They killed three other bloggers earlier this year”.

Bangladesh may be attractive, but its extremism is not.