KATHMANDU, SEP 26 - General Secretary of Nepal Islamic Association, Faijal Ahmad, was shot dead in broad daylight at one of the most secured places in the Capital on Monday.
Two armed assailants opened fire on Ahmad, 41, at 1:45 pm in front of Tri Chandra Campus at Ghantaghar, barely 50 metres away from the Metropolitan Police Commissioner's Office (MPCO).
Ahmad was returning to the office of the Islamic Association from the Jame Mosque in Ghantaghar after his afternoon prayers. His office is a few yards away from the mosque and right in front of Tri Chandra College. Ahmad received multiple gun shots on his chest, neck and head and died undergoing treatment in Bir Hospital.
Students of Tri Chandra College, many of whom witnessed the attack, said the shooters fled the scene on foot towards Kamaladi.
The duo, which opened fire at Ahmad, had covered themselves in raincoats. As it was raining all day in the Capital, police said the raincoats provided a perfect cover for the perpetrators, while the rain also helped them flee with ease.
One Rajan Shrestha, who witnessed the murder, said one of the shooters drew a pistol towards them when they were trying to rescue Ahmad after he was hit for the first time. The gunmen then fired 16 more shots at Ahmad and fled.
Police, however, said the exact number of bullets fired at him will be determined only after a post-mortem report comes. At least 14 wounds in different parts of his body have been confirmed.
After the gunmen fled, the anxious public rushed Ahmad to Bir Hospital.
The site of the incident is a stone's throw away from the MPCO in Ranipokhari and is one of the most heavily guarded places in the Capital. Just north of the site lies the Metro Police Circle, Durbarmarg.
Although Close Circuit cameras at the metro police offices keep the area under continuous surveillance, police said the cameras failed to capture the attackers as the site was out of range.
Police sources said the group that killed media entrepreneur Jamim Shah may be behind the attack.
Police said they are hunting for the attackers on the basis of their physical appearance. “We have started making sketches of the shooters,” said SSP Madhav Prasad Nepal, the spokesperson of the MPCO.
Nepal Islamic Association, a social organisation registered with the District Administration Office has been working in the field of education among the Muslim community in Nepal. Ahmad, who was the General Secretary of the organisation since 2007, lived in Samakhusi with his family. He hailed from Bokraha, Sunsari. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
