Three affiliated organizations of BNP—Jubo Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal and Chhatra Dal, on Saturday raised questions and doubts over the failure to arrest the main accused in the brutal killing of a scrap trader in front of Mitford Hospital and the alleged exclusion of three key suspects from the case.
“Those who were directly involved in the murder, clearly visible in CCTV and video footage, were surprisingly not made the main accused in the case. Even the individuals who carried out the fatal attack have not been arrested yet. We fail to understand the reason behind it,” said Jubo Dal President Abdul Monayem Munna.
He made the remarks while addressing an emergency press conference organized by Jubo Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal and Chhatra Dal at the BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.
Referring to a media reports, he said the daughter of the plaintiff in the case alleged that police excluded three people directly involved in the killing and instead included three innocent individuals in the case.
“More than 60 hours have passed since the incident, but despite having clear evidence of the murder, the main killers have not yet been arrested… This is a big question and a mystery,” Munna said.
He said they want to know through the media who included the names of three apparently innocent people in the case and why, while excluding the real offenders.
“The incident happened on Wednesday, but it was widely circulated on Friday. Why was there a delay of two days? Who was behind it must also be investigated. We don’t know whether any quarter did it to implement an agenda, but we suspect it,” Munna said.
The Jubo Dal chief called upon law enforcement agencies to take proper action through an investigation into the incident.
Munna said they could not identify any of the assailants shown in the video as affiliated with Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal or Swechchhasebak Dal.
He, however, said they expelled five leaders and activists of the three organizations as they were made accused in the case.
Earlier on Wednesday, a scrap trader named Mohammad Shohagh was killed in broad daylight in front of Mitford Hospital in Old Dhaka.
Video footage of the brutal killing went viral on social media on Friday, sparking public outrage.
Police on Friday said four people were arrested in connection with the murder.
That same night, Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal and Swechchhasebak Dal expelled five of their members for life over the incident.
At the press conference, Munna said: “We are very worried over the overall law and order situation in the country. Mohammad Shohagh, a trader and Jubo Dal activist under Chawkbazar Thana in the capital, was brutally killed by being hit with a stone in broad daylight. The entire nation is shocked to witness this brutal barbarity.”
He strongly condemned and protested the atrocious murder. “In this era of civilization, we cannot accept such primitive barbarity in any way.”
The Jubo Dal President said they expelled five people from the three organizations for life as their names surfaced as instigators and defendants in the case.
“We have already called upon law enforcement agencies to arrest them immediately and bring them to justice. We have taken all necessary measures from the perspective of organizational responsibility and accountability,” he said.