BANGLADESH

Shafiqul Islam Shafique, the man who died allegedly in a clash between police and Jamaat-e-Islami workers, had been forced to go to the Jamaat procession, his brother claimed.

Police say they did not fire on the mass procession that Jamaat's Rajshahi unit took out on Monday afternoon.

His elder brother Rafiqul Islam said Shafique was not involved in politics. "We heard that the procession was standing at a place peacefully when the clashes began. My brother died when he was running away. We heard that he was shot," Rafique said.

He added that the deceased was a receptionist at the town's Islami Medical College Hospital.

"You have to say you are a Shibir [Jamaat student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir] member if you want a job at Islami Bank. My brother also got his job that way," Rafique said.

Rafiqul, who works in a private clinic's pathology section, said all employees of the Islami Bank Hospital were forced to go to the procession.

"Shafique was forced to go, to save his job," he said.

He said the family wanted to bury Shafique at Hetem Khan graveyard after the post mortem on Tuesday. Shafique had a seven-year old son. According to Rafique, he started working right after high school to support the family.