ISIS on Saturday claimed responsibility for the killing of a homoeopathic doctor in western Bangladesh, as the Muslim-majority country reels under a series of brutal murders of secular activists and minorities by Islamists.
“Fighters from the Islamic State (ISIS) assassinated a doctor who called to Christianity in Kushtia, western Bangladesh,” the ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency said in a brief Arabic message, according to SITE Intelligence Group.
Sanaur Rahman, a 58-year-old doctor, was riding home on his motorbike along with Saif-uz-Zaman, assistant professor of Bangla literature at Islami University, when they were attacked by machete-wielding militants in Kushtia town on Friday.
Rahman was hacked to death while Prof. Zaman was critically wounded in the attack. He was flown to Dhaka for treatment.
A home ministry official rejected the claim by ISIS, saying “the home grown militants are... repeatedly trying to prove their links with international outfits like ISIS or Al Qaeda”.
“Our investigations found no link of any international group to the (recent) incidents in Bangladesh”, additional home secretary Rahmatul Munim said.
The Kushtia police said both Rahman and his friend were fans of a mystical musical tradition known as Baul, which the Islamists consider “un-Islamic”.
According to neighbours, Rahman was a popular doctor as he used to treat and offer medicine to poor people free of cost.
“We are investigating possible militant links.., but we will also see if it was the outcome of any personal enmity,” a local police officer said.
