It has been a year since Fulgazi upazila chairman Ekramul Haque Haque Ekram was shot and burnt to death by miscreants in front of Bilash Cinema Hall in Academy area, Feni town.
On May 20, Ekram, president of Fulgazi upazila unit Awami League, came under attack in the morning on his way to the Fulgazi municipality office.
The miscreants intercepted his microbus, shot at him from close range, and then set fire to the vehicle. The attackers left the scene after confirming Ekram’s death at the scene.
Jasim Uddin, Ekram’s elder brother, filed a case with Feni Model police station against 25 people, including Ekram’s arch rival Mahtabuddin Chowdhury Minar.
Family members alleged that law enforcements agencies were reluctant to take action against the accused as most were leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League.
When this correspondent phoned Ekram’s wife Tasmim Atket, she said: “Please let me live with my children.” Then she demanded a speedy trial of the case.
Jasim Uddin sought the government’s intervention in the murder case and hoped the government would ensure justice for Ekram as quickly as possible.
But locals said, as most of the accused were from the ruling party and Ekram’s family also belongs to the ruling party, he kept mum over the issue. But Jasim Uddin differed with the allegations.
Officer-in-Charge of Feni Model police station told the Dhaka Tribune that at least 27 of the accused were produced before court senior Judicial Magistrate Alamgir Mohammad on April 26. The court fixed June 2 for the next hearing.
After the hearing, the court refused the bail prayers of two of the accused, Nayan and Paban. Meanwhile, the primary accused in the case, Mahtabuddin Chowdhury Minar, is now undergoing treatment under police custody.
Police arrested Minar fromn Dhaka on May 27 and sent him to Feni jail on June 4 after interrogating him.
Later, the High Court gave him six-month bail on July 17 on health grounds.
Later, the Appellate Division scrapped the bail and ordered him to surrender in the trial court.
As Minar ignored the order to surrender, a Feni court issued a warrant and Adabar police arrested him at the BIRDEM Hospital on September 21.
According to local sources, police submitted a charge sheet against 56 people on August 28. Later, the court accepted the charges on November 12.
At present, 27 accused in the case are in Feni prison.
