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Bangladesh police on Saturday launched a massive hunt to nab the killers of secular blogger Niloy Chakrabarty Neel whose body bore around 14 hack wounds, four of which were on the neck.
Police registered a case of murder on the complaint of his wife Asha Moni who was present when the 40-year-old blogger was attacked by four suspected Al Qaeda linked Islamists at their apartment just after the Friday prayers.
Several teams of investigators have been constituted to hunt down the killers of the blogger, official sources said, adding that they hope to catch them soon.
Neel’s body bore around 14 hack wounds -- four of which were on the neck. The brutality of the attack was such that some of the cuts sliced through his bones, according to the autopsy report.
“He died on the spot because of excessive blood loss from his wounds,” Dr Habibuzzaman Chowdhury, chairman of DhakaMedicalCollegeHospital’s forensic department, said while releasing the autopsy report to the media.
As the killing of the blogger was condemned worldwide, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday warned that her government will not allow politics over religious sentiment.
“At least, this can’t be done in Bangladesh. We won’t allow this in the country,” she said while speaking at a function organised by the women and child affairs ministry.
“At least our government is not sitting idle....We’re trying to check those with an iron hand,” she added, referring to various incidents of terrorism in recent months.
Ansar-Al-Islam, Bangladesh chapter of Al Qaeda in the Indian sub-continent, had claimed responsibility for the killing Neel terming him an enemy of Allah.
The blogger, popularly known by his pen name Niloy Neel, had recently received numerous threats for his writings and stance against radicalism.
Neel’s murder is the fourth such brutal murder in the country.
The United Nations called on Bangladesh to initiate steps for preventing violence against writers and activists, including providing physical protection to potential targets.
The United States has termed Neel’s killing as a “cowardly murder” and underlined the need to counter violent extremism. “This heinous act once again underscores the need to work together to counter violent extremism. We stand with Bangladeshis who reject this vicious act and who work to protect space for freedom of expression,” the US State Department said in a statement on Friday.