A chilling murder

There were around 40 beds in a row on a rolled-out mat. Zidan, 12, and Bakar, 16, who were once good friends, used to sleep one bed apart. Recently, their relationship deteriorated due to unknown reasons. But nobody thought this animosity could lead to murder.

The two were students of Madinatul Ulum Madrasa in the capital's Gulistan. Around 100 students of the institution, where they are taught to memorise the whole Quran, lived in two adjacent halls in barrack-like arrangements. Most of them are below 12.

It was around 1:00am yesterday.

With a knife, Bakar quietly crawled to the bed of Zidan. He first gagged the boy with a piece of cloth and slit his throat, all in a skilful sweep. The 12-year-old was dead right away.

The boy who slept on a bed between Bakar and Zidan's witnessed the killing, but he pretended to be asleep. He was fearful about his own life.

"Bakar committed the murder when everyone was in sleep," said a resident of the room, quoting the boy who witnessed the incident.

After finishing the killing, "he dragged the body around 30 feet and dropped it into a septic tank," he said.

It left a trail of blood all the way.

Since the madrasa gate was locked at night, Bakar fled by breaking through a wooden structure in the tin-roof dormitory. As soon as he vanished, the witness woke all others up and spotted the body in the tank next to the hall toilets.

The students and teachers took Abdur Rahman Zidan to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 4:00am but doctors said he was brought dead. 

According to students, Abu Bakar was the most senior student of the madrasa. He killed Zidan after they grew enmity over a “senior-junior issue” after Eid-ul-Adha this year.

The students and teachers, however, could not say exactly why the two turned into foes from friends, and what possibly could be the overwhelming reason behind such a gruesome act.

Police picked up several students and teachers for interrogation.

Another student said Bakar and Zidan were friends, but they were not on good terms for the last few months.

Bakar used to dominate all other students as he was a senior and often quarrelled with Zidan over trivial matters. Madrasa teachers tried to end the antagonism several times, last time on Thursday.

“He [Bakar] brought a knife two to three weeks ago and used to intimidate others with it,” said another student.

“Our Yeasin huzur [teacher] seized the knife from him and took it to his room [a portion of the hall room separated by a curtain]. Bakar might have stolen the knife and killed Zidan as the teacher was on leave,” he added. 

Mahmudul Haque, officer-in-charge of Paltan Police Station, said Bakar probably killed the boy as a teacher punished Bakar on Thursday following a complaint by Zidan.

“Police are looking for him,” he added.

Visiting the madrasa around 1:00pm yesterday, this correspondent saw Zidan's bed and the mosquito net smeared with blood. Panic spread among students and guardians. Many of the parents visited the madrasa yesterday, and a few took their children home.

The madrasa teachers or officials were not available for comments.

Meanwhile, following an autopsy at Dhaka Medical College, the family of Zidan who lives in Thatari Bazar area received his body.

The boy was youngest among five children of Hafizur Rahman, a chicken trader.