Probe into RU student Faruk murder stalled for a year
Hearing on three top Jamaat leaders' remand prayer deferred several times
Faruk Hossain
The probe into the brutal murder of Rajshahi University student Faruk Hossain has remained stuck for a year as hearing on petition for remand of three arrested bigwigs of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami was deferred several times. The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Rajshahi, however, fixed February 14 for hearing on the petition for remand of Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee as they were implicated in Faruk murder case. Soon after arrest of the three Jamaat leaders in Dhaka in connection with other cases, Inspector Tofazzal Hossain of the Detective Branch (DB) of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP), also the investigation officer of the case, submitted remand prayer to the court. The court on June 30, 2010 issued production warrant against the three accused, but police could not produce the Jamaat leaders in the court on several dates as they had to produce them (accused) in Dhaka courts in other cases. Police are yet to unearth the motive behind the armed attacks on different RU dormitories by Shibir cadres on February 9 last year. Officials involved in the investigation said already they have taken a long time to identify the accused and other suspects as they hail from various districts across the country. "As the case is very sensitive and complex, the investigation is going on to make the charge sheet flawless", RMP Commissioner M Obaidullah told this correspondent. The February 9 attacks led to the killing of Faruk, a resident student of Shah Makhdum Hall and an activist of Bangladesh Chhatra League RU unit. His body was dumped in a manhole. Around 100 others were also injured during attacks and Shibir men cut tendons of four of them. After the incident, 14 cases, including the one for Faruk murder, were filed with Motihar Police Station, accusing 35 people. The law enforcers have so far arrested 29 of the 35 accused including Rajshahi city Jamaat Ameer Ataur Rahman, General Secretary Abul Kalam Azad and former RU syndicate member Siddik Hossain, RU Shibir President Shamsul Alam Golap, former Rajshahi ward councillor and Shibir' cadre Gias Uddin and Amir Ali Hall unit Shibir President Ekram Hossain. Golap, Gias and Ekram gave statements before the court, confessing to their involvement in the attacks. The Shibir men said they attended a rally of Motiur Rahman Nizami in Rajshahi on February 7, 2010 and launched the attacks on June 9 as per plan of their organisation. Sources said the investigators had gone through mobile phone call records of the arrested leaders of Jamaat and Shibir and found that they were in contact with each other during the overnight violence. The murder case was handed over to DB in November 2010. Earlier, sub-inspectors Shahidul Islam, Arifuzzaman, Sohel Rana of Motihar Police Station also investigated the murder case.
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