BISWAJIT MURDER :

M Moneruzzaman : The High Court Division on Sunday upheld deaths of two Chhatra League activists for the sensational murder of 24-year old tailor Biswajit Das, four others’ death sentences were reduced to life terms and acquitted four convicts, two from deaths and two from life terms.

On December 9,2012, Biswajit was mercilessly knifed and beaten up with iron rods inside the municipal market near the Victoria Park during BNP’s countrywide blockade and the entire episode was seen live on TV channels.

The incident sent shock waves across the nation as the attackers showed no mercy despite Biswajit’s appeals to spare his life.

A Speedy Trial Tribunal in Dhaka had handed deaths to eight Bangladesh Chhatra League activists and 13 other BCL activists to life terms, finding the 21 guilty of murdering Biswajit.

Biswajit was lying helplessly in a pool of blood when a rickshaw puller took him to Mitford Hospital where doctors declared him’ brought dead’.

Severe marks of injuries caused by knifing and hitting by iron rocks mutilated two thirds of the tailor’s body.

The High Court Division upheld deaths of BCL activists Rafiqul Islam Shakil, and Rajon Talukder, reduced death sentences of Mahfuzur Rahman Nahid, Imdadul Hoque Emdad, GM Rasheduzzaman Shawon and Mir Nurul Alam Liman to life terms.

Rajon was tried in absentia as he is absconding. His knife used in the murder was seized by police from the principal offender Shakil.

Absconder Liman was also tried in absentia.

Death sentence convicts Saiful Islam Saiful and Kaium Mia Tipu were acquitted.

Out of 13 life term recipients, two acquitted BCL activists are Golam Mostafa and AHM Kibria.

The High Court Division gave no decision about the 11 other life term recipients as being absconders they could not appeal.

The court directed the police to hold probes and find out whether or not the then police sub-inspector of Sutrapur police station Md Zahidul Huq submitted flawed report of inquest on Biswajit’s murder and delayed in lodging the murder case and thereby committed misconduct.

The court also directed the Medical and Dental Council to initiate an inquiry

to find out whether or not the then forensic medicine professor of Sir Salimullah Medical College Md Maksud had submitted flawed post mortem report and thereby committed professional or criminal misconduct.

Professor Maksud wrote in his post mortem report that he found only one injury mark on Biswajit just as the inquest report of the police said.

The High Court Division said in observations that even laymen could see from the video footage that Biswjit’s death was caused by multiple injuries.

The court said in observations that the police arrested the eight BCL activities only after the High Court Division issued stern orders after showing hesitations to nab the offenders who were clearly seen in the video footage knifing Biswajit.

Absconding 11 life-term recipients include BCL activists Yunus Ali, Tarik Bin Johor Tomal, Alauddin, Obaidul Qader Tahsin, Imran Hossain, Azizur Rahman, Al-Amin, Rafiqul Islam, Kamrul Hasan, Monirul Haque Pavel and Mosharraf Hossain.

The court said that there was no doubt that Biswajit was brutally murdered by some students of Jagannath University who are members of the students’ front of the party in power.

It said Biswajit became the victim of wrath of the attackers who took out anti blockade processions though he was no opposition activist.

-New Age

(Published 2017/08/07 at 12:16 am)