A left-leaning political alliance staged a protest in Rangpur on Monday demanding a judicial inquiry into the killing of four members of a family, including a former teacher of Rangpur Zilla School, and the arrest of those responsible.
The Democratic United Front organised a procession, human chain and rally in the city, alleging that contradictory statements from police had raised questions about the investigation and eroded public confidence in the authorities.
The procession started near the Rangpur Press Club and passed through several major roads before protesters formed a human chain and held a rally in Kachari Bazar, outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner.
Abdul Quddus, Rangpur district coordinator of the Democratic United Front and district convener of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (SPB), presided over the rally. Kafi Sarker, general secretary of the Rangpur district committee of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), moderated the event.
Speakers included Abdullah Kafi Ratan, general secretary of the CPB and central coordinator of the Democratic United Front, Nazmul Haque Pradhan, general secretary of Bangladesh Jasad, Bazlur Rashid Firoz, general secretary of SPB and coordinator of the Anti-Imperialist Alliance Sima Dutta of SPB (Marxist), Iqbal Kabir Jahid, general secretary of the Revolutionary Communist League of Bangladesh and Marxist leader Anwar Hossain Bablu.
Ganapati Chakraborty, a former teacher of Rangpur Zilla School, and three members of his family were found killed at their home in Machuapara in Rangpur city.
Police have arrested two suspects, identified by the protesters as Mugdha and Siddhartha Das, in connection with the case. The protesters said police had claimed that the two suspects killed the victims by strangulation after being prevented from using yaba.
The protesters questioned that account, saying drug tests reportedly found no evidence of drug use among the arrested suspects. They also alleged that investigators had not adequately examined possible motives behind the killings.
“The police investigation has lost its credibility among the people,” the speakers said, calling for the case to be investigated under the supervision of a judicial inquiry committee.
They also demanded that the actual perpetrators be identified and arrested and that all possible motives behind the killings be investigated.
The speakers expressed concern over the growing availability of illegal drugs in Rangpur, alleging that drug hotspots and those involved in drug distribution could not be unknown to law-enforcement agencies. They urged the authorities to identify drug suppliers and their alleged patrons and take effective legal action.
They said rising incidents of murder, rape, extortion, robbery and drug-related crime were making people's lives increasingly insecure in Rangpur and elsewhere in Bangladesh.
The protesters warned that failure to ensure a credible investigation and bring the actual killers to justice would lead to stronger protests in Rangpur and across the country.