Prosecutors and family members of innocent Old Dhaka tailor Bishwajit Das have deplored police’s role as the law enforcers could not arrest the 13 fugitive killers in the last three years.
Of them, the two death-row convicts have already fled the country while some of the 11 other criminals, who had been given life-term jail two years ago, are trying to leave the country, according to sources.
The 13 killers, all leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s Jagannath University unit, have been on the run since the murder.
Rajon Talukder, who was given death penalty, is currently staying in Kolkata while another death-row convict Mir Md Noor-e-Alam Limon is in Singapore.
A special Dhaka court on December 19, 2013 sentenced eight Chhatra League leaders and activists to death and 13 others to life-term imprisonment for killing Bishwajit near Badadur Shah Park on December 9, 2012.
They appealed against the sentences with the High Court on January 8 last year.
On the other hand, the prosecution is yet to complete preparing the paper book of the case though the trial court had sent the death reference on December 31, 2013. One of the defence counsels Md Jamal Uddin Khandaker told the Dhaka Tribune: “Our appeal petitions are now waiting for hearing in the apex court.”
Public prosecutor Abdullah Abu of the Dhaka’s Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court said that the Speedy Trial Tribunal had issued warrants for the arrest of the fugitives. He thinks that the police could have arrested the fugitives if they wanted to.
Meanwhile, police’s failure to arrest the fugitives has created panic among the family members of Bishwajit.
His elder brother Uttam Kumar Das told the Dhaka Tribune: “Our family is in a state of panic as the 13 convicts are still on the run.”
Alleging that police were not cordial to arrest the fugitives, Uttam urged the government to take immediate initiatives for the arrest of the convicts, speedy disposal of the appeals and execution of the verdict with a view to ensuring justice.
Police’s detective branch is coordinating the arrest of the fugitive convicts in the sensational case that witnessed a fast-track trial. DB Deputy Commissioner Muntasirul Islam said that they were working relentlessly to arrest the culprits.
The six other death row convicts are Md Rafiqul Islam Shakil, Mahfuzur Rahman Nahid, Emdadul Haque Emdad, GM Rasheduzzaman Shaon, Quiyum Miah Tipu and Saiful Islam.
Lifer Golam Mostafa and AHM Kibria, currently under police custody, and fugitives – Monirul Haque Pavel, Obaidul Quader Tahsin, Imran Hossain, Khondoker Md Yunus Ali, Tarique Bin Zohor Tamal, Azizur Rahman Aziz, Al Amin Sheikh, Mosharraf Hossain, Rafiqul Islam, Md Alauddin and Kamrul Hasan – were given life-term imprisonment.
The unruly Chhatra League men beat up and hacked Bishwajit with sharp weapons mistaking him as an opposition activist. He died at a hospital after some time.
He was among other people who ran for safety following blasts near Shakhari Bazar around 9am on December 9, 2012. The 24-year-old was going to his tailoring shop at Shakhari Bazar at that time. Meanwhile, the BNP-backed lawyers brought out a procession in the area in favour of their countrywide blockade programme.
After the blasts, the Chhatra League men chased the lawyers with sticks, rods, steel pipes and machetes and found Bishwajit running. He scurried onto the second floor of a nearby building. But the murderers hunted him down as he was trying to take shelter inside a dental clinic on the floor. They dragged him down to the streets beating and hacking as some of them continued to pound him.
Bishwajit somehow managed to free himself from his attackers and cross the road, but collapsed. Some pedestrians then put him on a rickshaw that took him to Mitford Hospital where he breathed his last.