Family of accused in Raihan murder case insecure after release on bail

Sylhet Bureau :
As a total of five accused in the much-discussed Raihan Ahmed murder case in Sylhet are currently out on bail, the family of the deceased and witnesses in the case are suffering from insecurity. In this situation, Raihan’s mother Salma Begum has demanded speedy trial and maximum punishment for the murderers.

In a written statement at a press conference at the Sylhet Press Club on Wednesday (August 13), Salma Begum said that on the late night of October 10, 2020, a group of policemen led by SI Akbar Hossain Bhuiyan, in-charge of Bandar Bazar police outpost, tortured and killed Raihan demanding extortion. She filed a case against SI Akbar and six others in this incident. The trial of the case is underway as the guilt of the accused was proven in the preliminary investigation and the final police report.

She said that accused No. 6 Noman has been absconding since the beginning. On April 17 this year, accused Harunur Rashid, on May 20, Titu Chanda Das, and on June 12, Hasan Uddin were released on bail. On August 10, the main accused in the case, SI Akbar, was granted bail by the High Court. As a result, 5 out of the 6 accused in the case are currently free on bail.

Salma Begum alleged that due to the release of influential accused, she, her family and the witnesses in the case are in extreme insecurity and fear that the trial process will be affected.

She further said that when the state filed a petition for leave to appeal against SI Akbar’s bail, the chamber judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court stayed the High Court’s bail order and ordered Akbar to surrender to the lower court. However, according to a report published in the daily Naya Diganta on Wednesday, Akbar fled to India after being granted bail.

Raihan’s mother called on the people of Sylhet to participate in a human chain in front of the Bandar Bazar police outpost on Thursday, August 14 at 2 pm, demanding the speedy completion of the trial, the death penalty for the murderers and the arrest of the absconding accused.

She expressed her gratitude to the journalists present at the press conference and requested them to continue their cooperation for justice.