Shahinur Rahman, a student of the accounting department at the Rajshahi University (RU), is languishing in jail after being detained by police in an apparent mix-up of name over a murder case in Rajshahi.
On November 13, a local Jubo League activist was killed as two Awami League factions engaged in a clash in Rajshahi city, over bagging a tender at the head office of Bangladesh Railway's western zone.
The deceased was identified as Sanowar Hossain.
Later, Monowar Hossain, brother of the deceased, filed a murder case with the city's Chandrima police station.
According to reports, the main accused in the case was Shahin Ahmed - son of Nasir Uddin, a resident of the city's Shiroil colony in Paschim Para.
However, police arrested Shahinur Rahman, son of Noor Mohammad - deputy registrar of RU, who is also a resident of the same colony.
Noor Mohammad told Dhaka Tribune, that his son Shahinur had gone to Chapainawabganj on the morning of the day of the murder. He returned home in the evening the same day. Later, police detained Shahinur while he was at a local barber shop.
The following night, at around 11:00pm, the plaintiff of the murder case Monowar went to the police station and told police that: "This man [Shahinur] was not there during the murder incident, please release him."
However, Officer-in-Charge (OC) Golam Mustafa replaced the previous first-information-report (FIR) with a new one and persuaded Monowar Hossain to sign the document.
Earlier, the OC had reassured Noor Mohammad that his son would be released, but later on he backtracked and told Noor that the court would look into the matter.
In a depressing voice Noor told Dhaka Tribune that his innocent son - Shahinur Rahman despite having no connection with the murder incident, has been locked up in jail custody. He said he was about to go crazy over his son's victimization.
Meanwhile, Chandrima police's new OC Serajum Munira told Dhaka Tribune that he was assigned at this police station when the murder case was filed.
The OC, however, said that investigation into the case is already under way, and expressed optimism that innocent people will be identified soon.