Shahzahan Bachchu, prominent writer and publisher passes away

Shahzahan Bachchu (60), a prominent Bangladeshi writer and publisher, was shot dead by unidentified attackers in his ancestral village Kakaldi in Munshiganj district of central Bangladesh on June 12, 2018. He was an outspoken proponent of secular principles and owner of a publishing house ‘Bishaka Prokashoni’ that specialized in publishing poetry. He was a former district general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has been hit by a spate of attacks against religious minorities, bloggers, foreigners, LGBT activists and other intellectuals since 2013. Several bloggers have also been targeted. In 2015, blogger Niloy Neel, who espoused atheist views, was hacked to death in his home in Dhaka. Avijit’s publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan was also hacked to death on October 31 the same year. Militant groups have claimed responsibility for most of the killings.