She was not wearing hijab, so she was killed: Friend of Dhaka attack victim

A Facebook post by an Indian professor about a woman who died in the Bangladesh terror attack on Saturday has gone viral on social media.

Kolkata-based professor Aloke Kumar was friends with one of the victims of the Dhaka café massacre, which took place on Saturday leaving 20 dead.

Dhaka-based HR professional Ishrat Akhond was killed by terrorists on the fateful morning of Saturday, July 2. Kumar has written a heart-rending eulogy to her on his Facebook account which has touched the hearts of people.

“ISHRAT no more
My friend Ishrat was brutally tortured and killed by terrorist in a Dhaka restaurant yesterday when she was there with several Italian Fashion Designer.
Most of the Muslim Bangladeshis were spared after they identified themselves and recited lines from the Koran. Ishrat who was not wearing a Hijab and neither wanted to prove herself was hacked to death with a machete,” reads the eulogy.

Kumar then goes on to speak about the other innocent people killed in the attack.

While the post has evoked an outpouring of condolences and grief, some people have also questioned the system and blamed the government for its allegedly callous attitude.

On Friday night, gunmen entered Gulshan Café in uptown Dhaka and murdered 20 people in a long siege that ended only on Saturday morning.

The attackers brandished assault rifles as they shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) entering the cafe. About 35 were trapped inside, their fate depending on whether they could prove themselves to be Muslims According to reports, the hostages were given a test: recite verses from the Quran, or be punished, according to a witness. Those who passed were allowed to eat. Those who failed were tortured and slain.

One Indian woman, 19-year-old Tarushi Jain, also perished in the attack. She had called up her father while hiding inside a toilet and said that she was not sure that she would live, since 'they are killing everyone'.

Initially, Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the killings. ISIS' media arm Al Amaq agency posted photos of five smiling people it claimed were the attackers. However, the Bangladesh government later denied that ISIS was responsible for the attack, pointing to some local terror groups or possible involvement of the Pakistan ISI.