Sylhet: Law enforcers, in separate drives, detained two uncles of the attacker of renowned writer and teacher of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) Professor Dr Muhammed Zafar Iqbal from Sunamganj and Sylhet respectively on Saturday night.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained Abdul Kahhar, paternal uncle of the attacker Fayzur Rahman, from Kalierkapon area in Derai upazila of Sunamganj while attacker’s maternal uncle Mokhlesur Rahman was held from Sheikhpara area, on the outskirts of the Sylhet city on Saturday night for questioning, said Gias Uddin, UP member of Tukerbazar union.

Detained Fayzur was handed over to Rab for interrogation. A team of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit is going to Sylhet for questioning the attacker.

Dr Zafar Iqbal, who was seriously injured in the knife attack on the campus on Saturday afternoon, is now undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka.

SUST Assistant Proctor Abu Hena Pahil said a young man, aged around 24-25, swooped on Prof Zafar Iqbal around 5:40pm while he was delivering his speech on the closing day of a two-day celebration programme, ‘Robofight,’ of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) department at Mukta Mancha.

Soon after the incident, SUST students caught the attacker from the Shikkha Bhaban-1 and gave him a mass beating before handing him over to police.