Gopal Krishna Muhuri was the principal of Nazirhat College in
Chittagong
Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
, who was murdered in his home. ''
The Daily Star'' described the case as "sensational".
Background
The
Four Party Alliance led by
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...
and
Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জামায়াতে ইসলামী, Bānglādēsh Jāmāyatē Islāmī, Bangladesh Islamic Assembly), previously known as Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, or Jamaat for short, was ...
came to power five weeks before the incident.
Widespread violation of the rights of minorities and attacks on them took place within a month of the government coming to power.
Incident
Gopal Krishana Muhuri was the principle of
Nazirhat College in
Chittagong
Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
city, a Hindu, and a former member of
Mukti Bahini
The Mukti Bahini ( bn, মুক্তিবাহিনী, translates as 'freedom fighters', or liberation army), also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was the guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary ...
. He had banned
Islami Chattra shibir in his college. He was murdered inside his home in Jamal Khan Road, Chittagong on 16 November 2001. Multiple gunmen had stormed his house and shot him while he was reading the morning newspaper. He was 60 at the time of his death. His death led to protests by
Bangladesh Chhatra League
The Bangladesh Chhatra League ( bn, বাংলাদেশ ছাত্রলীগ; translation: Bangladesh Students' League; BSL), formerly known as the East Pakistan Student League, often simply called the Chhatra League, is a students' po ...
,
Bangladesh Jubo League
The Bangladesh Awami Jubo League ( bn, বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী যুবলীগ) commonly known as the Jubo League, is the first youth organization of Bangladesh founded by Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani. It is the youth wing o ...
, and the
.
Trial
His family filed a murder case against 12 people. On 3 February 2003, Speedy Trial Tribunal in Chittagong sentenced four people to death and four others to life-term imprisonment. An accused died on 29 June 2004 in a gunfight with "criminals". On 2 March 2005 another of the accused was killed in a gunfight with
Rapid Action Battalion
Rapid Action Battalion or RAB, is an anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh Police. This elite force consists of members of the Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force, Border Guard Bangladesh, Ba ...
. Two other accused, Prof Jahirul Haque and Prof Tofazzal Ahamad also died during the trial process. In July 2006
Bangladesh High Court
The High Court Division, Supreme Court of Bangladesh ( bn, হাইকোর্ট ডিভিশন) popularly known as the 'High Court' is one of the two divisions of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, the other division being the Appellate D ...
confirmed the death sentence of Nasir alias Gittu Nasir, Azam, Alamgir Kabir alias Baitta Alamgir, and Tasleem Uddin Montu. It also confirmed the life imprisonment of Mohi Uddin and Habib Khan; both absconded during the verdict. Saiful Islam alias Chhoto Saiful and Shahjahan were acquitted in the verdict.
Eight of the accused were members of
Islami Chattra shibir and three were professors in the college.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhuri, Gopal Krishna
Murder in Bangladesh
Terrorist incidents in Bangladesh in 2001
Crime in Chittagong
2001 murders in Bangladesh