Investigators have yet to establish the motive behind a Facebook comment referring to a sniper during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Rajshahi, even as a college student and his father have been detained and conflicting accounts have emerged about the family’s political affiliations.
The student, Abu Bakar Siddique, a first-year undergraduate in the History Department at Rajshahi New Government Degree College, was detained on Wednesday after a Facebook account bearing his name posted the comment beneath a photograph of the prime minister travelling in a university bus.
His father, Aynal Haque, was also detained.
Both were subsequently placed in the custody of the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), according to officials in Rajshahi.
The comment appeared beneath a photograph published by a Facebook page called The Beauty of Rajshahi during the prime minister’s visit to the northern city on Tuesday.
Tarique was travelling in a bus belonging to Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (Ruet).
The Facebook post questioned why he had used the university bus instead of his red-and-green bulletproof bus.
An account under the name Abu Bakar Siddique commented: “Ah! What a great opportunity it was. If only there had been a sniper.”
The remark spread rapidly online, prompting concern in political circles and an investigation by law enforcement agencies.
Questions over motive and political links
Police have yet to confirm whether the Facebook account belonged to Abu Bakar, why the comment was made or whether it was connected to any planned activity.
An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said these questions remained central to the investigation.
Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) spokesperson Gaziur Rahman said investigators had found no confirmed evidence of Abu Bakar’s political involvement.
Chandrima Police Station Officer-in-Charge Monirul Islam also said he had no information about the student’s political connections.
However, conflicting accounts have emerged from teachers and student political leaders.
Shariful Islam, an assistant professor in the college’s History Department, said he had spoken to several students after learning about the Facebook comment.
According to the teacher, those students claimed Abu Bakar’s father had previously supported the Awami League but had been associating with Jamaat-e-Islami since 5 August 2024.
He said he had also heard that Abu Bakar was involved in Bangladesh Chhatra League politics through family connections, although he had never seen him take part in political activities at the college.
“I have not seen anything bad in him either,” Shariful said.
Mahmud Hasan Limon, president of the college unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, said he had heard from administration officials that Abu Bakar was previously associated with Chhatra League and later became involved with Islami Chhatra Shibir.
However, Limon acknowledged that he had never witnessed Abu Bakar participating in such activities on campus.
Rajshahi metropolitan Islami Chhatra Shibir President Imran Nazir denied any connection between the organisation and the detained student.
None of the claims about Abu Bakar’s political affiliations has been independently established.
Father detained before son
According to family members, personnel from the RMP Cyber Crime Unit and Chandrima Police Station visited Abu Bakar’s home in the Kechuatoil area of Rajshahi city around 2pm on Wednesday but did not find him.
Around 4pm, plainclothes personnel from Special Response Batallion-5 (SRB-5) conducted another operation at the house.
Unable to locate Abu Bakar, they took his father into custody.
During questioning, Aynal reportedly told officers that his son was staying at his maternal uncle’s house in Gholharia village of Hatramchandrapur in Paba upazila.
Officers then took Aynal to the village and detained Abu Bakar from the house. A mobile phone used by the family was also seized.
SRB-5 Commander Lieutenant Colonel Faisal Ishtiaq told reporters that the DB would provide further details about the incident.
Officials said Chandrima police searched the family’s premises for nearly an hour after Abu Bakar’s detention but found no significant evidence to seize, apart from the packaging of a pen drive.
Family members said police had also searched for Abu Bakar’s laptop, although they maintained that he did not use one.
When contacted, Chandrima Police Station OC Monirul Islam referred questions to higher authorities.
Family rejects allegations
Abu Bakar’s family lives in the Kechuatoil area under the jurisdiction of Chandrima Police Station.
His father is a farmer.
Local residents described Abu Bakar as a hardworking and well-behaved young man who transports vegetables by van alongside his studies.
They said he also maintained links with a group of motorcycle enthusiasts and travelled to different places with them.
His mother, Asmaul Husna, insisted that her son was innocent, hardworking and academically talented.
She alleged that he was being falsely implicated in the incident.
