A. F. M. Rezaul Karim Siddique

A. F. M. Rezaul Karim Siddique (or Siddiquee) (7 January 1955 – 23 April 2016) was a professor of English at Rajshahi University, Bangladesh. He died in an attack suspected to have been carried out by Islamist militants that has been linked by commentators to a wave of attacks on secularists in Bangladesh.

Murder Siddique was killed on 23 April 2016 in the Shalbagan area of Rajshahi when he was attacked by unidentified assailants armed with machetes while he was on his way to work. His attackers are suspected to be Islamist militants. He was 61 years old. His son, Riyasat Imtiaz Sourav, said "My father had no personal enemy". however, this was denied by the Bangladeshi authorities who say that ISIL does not exist in Bangladesh.

Reaction The students and teachers of Rajshahi University organized continuous protests to demand justice for Siddique's murder. On 2 May 2016 all the teachers from public universities across the country held a three-hour work stoppage in support of the demands.

Trial On 8 May 2018, Justice Shirin Kabita Akhter of the Speedy Trial Tribunal in Rajshahi sentenced two to death for the murder of A. F. M. Rezaul Karim Siddique; both of them are members of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh. One of the convict, Shariful Islam, is a student of the University of Rajshahi and other convict was Maskawat Hasan. Three other accused were sentenced to life imprisonment. Shariful Islam remains a fugitive. He was the founding editor of the literary magazine Kamal Gandhar.

Siddique was married to Hosne Ara Sheera and had a son Riyasat Imtiaz Sourav and daughter Rizwana Hasin Shotovi, all of whom survived him.