Akhond was killed as she did not wear a hijab and refused to recite Koran when the militants told her too.
Amidst the shock and the tragedy over the Dhaka terror attack, comes a story of exemplary courage of a woman who chose death over submitting to the terrorists' demands.
The attackers whose target were foreigners, also killed two Bangladeshi women, one of whom was Ishrat Akhond. Friends of Akhond told The Indian Express that she was killed as she did not wear a hijab and refused to recite Koran when the militants told her too. She was hacked to death for disobeying them and standing up for principles. The terrorists had let other Muslims who had recited verses the holy book.
Akhond, 45, had gone for dinner with two Italian designers on that tragic day. She was the Human Resources Director of ZXY International FZCO, one of the largest garments manufacturing company. She was fondly Nilu Apu by her friends.
She was a member of the Bangladesh-German Chamber of Commerce — a bilateral business organisation promoting trade between the two countries — and was working on to become a member of its election committee.
A former colleague in the chamber spoke about Akhond saying, “was an invaluable member of the Chamber and had just recently finished conducting its elections. But her real love was art. And she was constantly promoting young artists. When I went to her place for dinner last year, she wanted to discuss a number of issues, including what she should do in the future. Her flat, in Gulshan I, was absolutely beautiful, each wall and corner adorned with beautiful art”.
Akhond's unbent principles showed in her work as well. She strove hard to get rid of child labour in her company and was successful in 2014.
IIM-Kolkata visiting faculty member Prof Aloke Kumar, a close friend, says, " Ishrat fought a lonely battle to make sure that the children were taken out of the factories. She got in touch with UNICEF and numerous other NGOs and ensured that the children were rehabilitated, that they were sent to school. It took her some time but she did it. They were out of the factories by 2014."
Friday's attack has shocked Bangladesh and analysts have said that as IS loses territory in Iraq and Syria and its finances get drained, it may be trying to build affiliates in other countries like Bangladesh and exploit disaffected youths.
The gunmen stormed into the Holey Artisan Bakery in the diplomatic area late on Friday, before killing at least 20 people once they had separated foreigners from locals. Six were killed and a seventh suspect was captured and is in hospital.
Nine Italians, seven Japanese, an American and an Indian were among the dead. Two Bangladeshis were also murdered inside the restaurant, while two police officers were killed outside during the 12-hour standoff.
The Dhaka restaurant attack was the worst since 2005, when JMB set off a series of bombs throughout Bangladesh in the space of an hour. Subsequent suicide attacks on courthouses killed at least 25 people
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