S A Shofiee, Sylhet:
Since the change of direction on August 5, cases have been filed in police stations across the country regarding the July uprising, and Sylhet is no exception. 136 cases have been filed in police stations under the jurisdiction of this district and city corporation, including 16 murder cases. About 30,000 people have been accused in these cases. Only 300 accused have been arrested in these cases in the last one year. There is no significant progress in the investigation either. As a result, the plaintiffs, including the martyrs’ families, are disappointed with the slow pace of the investigation. Not only them, but also lawyers are concerned about the investigation.
The investigation revealed that 16 cases of murder and 120 cases of explosives and attacks have been filed in police stations in Sylhet district and metropolitan area regarding the July-August uprising. Of these, 92 cases have been filed in police stations under the city corporation.
The number of accused in the district alone is 9,500. Of these, 2,321 are registered and 7,185 are unknown. Of these, 102 have been arrested by the police. The plaintiffs in five cases have applied to withdraw the cases.
There are 20,222 accused in the cases filed by the Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP). Of these, 6,482 are registered and 13,740 are unknown. In this, 177 people have been arrested.
Meanwhile, the top accused in 16 murder cases is former member of parliament from Sylhet-6 constituency and former education minister Nurul Islam Nahid. He has been accused in seven murder cases in Golapganj and two in Beanibazar police station. District Chhatra League president Nazmul Islam is the accused in the maximum 43 explosive cases filed in the district and metropolitan area. There are also three murder cases against him.
District Chhatra League General Secretary Rahel Siraj is in second place in murder cases. There are eight murder cases and 36 cases against him under the Explosives Act. Former Beanibazar Upazila Parishad chairman Abul Kashem Pallab is in third place in the murder case. He is accused in seven murder cases, including numerous explosive cases.
The second place in the explosive cases is occupied by the ousted mayor of Sylhet City Corporation Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury. Two murder cases and 41 cases have been filed against him under the Explosives Act. In addition, Sylhet District Awami League General Secretary Advocate Nasir Uddin Khan, former Golapganj Municipality Mayor Awami League leader Aminul Islam Rabel, Fulbari UP Chairman Hanif Khan and Golapganj Upazila Awami League Office Secretary Ali Akbar Fakhr are jointly in fourth place in the murder cases. There are numerous cases against each of them, including six murders.
Lawyer Advocate Emad Ullah Shahidul Islam Shaheen said that while the investigation period of the Criminal Procedure Code is 120 days, there is 365 days, meaning that there has been no visible progress in the case even in a year. There is great negligence and carelessness in the investigation. In the shooting incident, recovering weapons or cartridges, performing post-mortems on the bodies of martyrs, preparing DNA profiles in the absence of evidence, and collecting evidence related to the incident were very important. However, extreme indifference is being observed.
He also said that there was great negligence in collecting these things immediately after the incident or after the case. Now, even if we want to, those evidences cannot be collected anymore. As a result, we have to worry about the justice of the cases. If proper evidence is not seized and presented, even the accused in sensitive cases can be acquitted.
The lawyer said that even if the accused in a case under the Criminal Procedure Code is absconding, there is no problem in the investigation. However, if the number of accused in a case is high, there is a risk of harassment of innocent people. Several other lawyers have made similar statements.
NCP Sylhet District Chief Coordinator Nazim Uddin Shahan said that justice in the mass uprising case is desirable for the entire countrymen. Most of the cases are sensitive. Therefore, it is important to be sincere and responsible in the investigation. Along with the martyr’s family, the plaintiffs in the case are eagerly waiting for justice. Various quarters have raised complaints about the process and slow pace of the investigation. If for some reason the investigation of the cases is not proper or prolonged, the responsibility will definitely fall on the concerned parties. And there are many rumors about the arrest of the accused. However, the NCP will not accept if an innocent person is harassed in the name of the case.
The first martyr in the anti-discrimination student movement in Sylhet was Rudra Sen, a student of Shabi Prabir. He was a second-year student of the Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science Department of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology. His elder sister Sushmita Sen expressed disappointment and anger, saying that it has been a year, but the investigation has not progressed as expected. Ali Abbas Shahin, a witness in the case, said, “We are very disappointed. In return for whose sacrifices this government is not paying attention to it.”
Abul Ahsan Mohammad Azraf, brother of martyred journalist Abu Turab in Sylhet, said, “We are disappointed with the progress of the case. The case is now under investigation from SMP to PBI, and from there to the International Crimes Tribunal. The investigation into the shooting death of a professional journalist in broad daylight is still a long way off.
Sylhet Police Superintendent Md. Mahbubur Rahma said, “The cases are very important and sensitive. That is why round-the-clock monitoring is being done through the special cell of the headquarters. There is no room for negligence in the investigation. A lot of time is being spent collecting evidence. Still, the investigators are trying their best.”
He also said, “It is not right that the investigation has not progressed. The investigation of many cases has progressed a long way. The charge sheet in the case of the shooting death of two people in Golapganj during the July coup may be filed by next August.”
Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md. Rezaul Karim said, All cases are under investigation. The highest echelons of the police are monitoring them round the clock. However, some issues, including the lack of an autopsy on the body, are causing some stagnation in the investigation. The murder case of journalist Turab has now been transferred to the International Crimes Tribunal by the PBI. Investigations of several other cases have made considerable progress. The investigation is being carried out to verify the truth of the allegations in the case and to ensure that no innocent person is harassed due to the mixture of truth and lies.
