Minni has links to Rifat murder

Abdul Halim Dulal Sharif, father of slain Rifat Sharif, yesterday de-manded the immediate arrest of his daughter-in-law Aysha Siddika Minni alleging that she had a hand in the murder.

Flanked by his two brothers -- former UP chairman Abdul Aziz Sharif and Abdus Salam Sharif -- Dulal made the remarks at a press confer-ence at the Barguna Press Club.

Dulal claimed that before Minni tied the knot with Rifat, she had married Sabbir Hossain Nayan alias Nayan Bond, one of the killers, and her family had kept the matter a secret.

He said they did not know of this “secret marriage” when they made Minni the first witness in the case filed over the murder.

Everything would become clear if police arrested Minni and interro-gated her regarding the murder, he said.

Rifat’s father alleged that she had helped the killers because she was having an affair with Nayan.

Nayan was killed in a “gunfight” with police early this month after Rifat’s murder.

Dulal alleged Minni had gone to college early on the day of the attack and Rifat went there to bring her back. But she kept waiting for the killers.

He claimed Minni came out of the college only after seeing the killers on the spot. “And then they hacked my son to death.”

Dulal urged the prime minister and the home minister to take imme-diate steps to uncover the “real facts” of the killing and bring all the killers to book.

The Daily Star tried to talk to Minni over phone, but she refused to speak to the media.

Contacted, her father Mozammel Hossain Kishor told this correspond-ent that Minni did not marry Nayan and that there was no communi-cation between them.

He, however, said Nayan had once made Minni sign a blank sheet of paper.

Mozammel termed Dulal’s comments baseless and said Rifat’s father was unwell.