A student of the University of Dhaka has reportedly gone missing after submitting an application to surrender in the high-profile murder case over the killing of Tofazzal Hossain, a mentally unstable man who was beaten to death on suspicion of theft at Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall nearly a year and a half ago.
Rashed Kamal Anik, a student of the Soil, Water and Environment Department, filed a petition seeking to surrender and secure bail through his lawyer at the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana on Sunday. However, when the matter was called for hearing, neither the accused nor his lawyer appeared before the court.
According to SI Jinnat Ali of the prosecution wing, the petition for surrender and bail was formally submitted, but repeated calls in court went unanswered as the accused and his lawyer were absent.
Attempts to contact Anik’s lawyer, Advocate Jamal Uddin, were unsuccessful. When reached by phone, he initially cited network problems and disconnected the call after the reporter identified themselves. Subsequent attempts to reach him went unanswered.
Earlier last week, the court accepted a charge sheet submitted by the Police Bureau of Investigation against 28 accused in connection with the case. As 22 of them remain absconding, the court has issued arrest warrants against those individuals, including Anik.
According to investigators, the incident occurred on the evening of September 18, 2024 when a man was seen wandering suspiciously near the gate of Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall. Several students detained him and took him first to the hall’s guest room, accusing him of stealing a mobile phone. They allegedly slapped and assaulted him during interrogation, during which he identified himself as Tofazzal.
Realising that he appeared mentally unstable, the students reportedly took him to the hall canteen and gave him food. Later, however, he was taken to a guest room in the hall’s south building where his hands were tied to a window. Investigators say he was then beaten with sticks, hockey sticks and stamps by a group of students until he lost consciousness.
Tofazzal later died from his injuries.
Tofazzal Hossain was from Kathaltoli Union in Patharghata upazila of Barguna district. He had completed a master’s degree in accounting from Barishal BM College but had been suffering from mental health issues and was reportedly unemployed at the time of the incident.
The case initially drew widespread attention and criticism, prompting a reinvestigation by the PBI after objections were raised over the earlier police probe. The latest charge sheet names 28 individuals in connection with the killing.