The law enforcement agencies have failed to make any visible progress in locating the murderers of delivery man Nahid Miah and shop worker Md Mursalin even ten days after a series of clashes between the students of Dhaka College and traders of New Market.
However, Detective Branch (DB) of Police Joint Commissioner (South) Mahbub Alam termed the helmet-wearing gang terrorists and said raids were being carried out to nab them.
At a press conference on Wednesday, he said: “We can’t confirm the attackers’ affiliation with any party and the question is not relevant right now. Besides, there was no committee of the Chhatra League at Dhaka College at the time of the attack. Those who took part in vandalism wearing helmets are nothing but terrorists.”
As of now, the police have identified three of the attackers of Nahid from CCTV footage.
Seeking anonymity, an official of DB confirmed their names as Emon, Quiyum, and Sujon Islam. All three of them reportedly are activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League.
Police also said that many of the culprits were in hiding as the dormitories were closed. Multiple DB teams were working on the case, they said.
The DB official said that Mursalin’s murder case was “clueless” as the police were yet to find out where the brick that killed the shop worker came from.
“However, those who have thrown brickbats and led such activities have to take responsibility for their actions. Right now, we are working on identifying and interrogating possible suspects,” Mahbub added.
Mursalin’s brother Nur Mohammad told Dhaka Tribune that an investigation officer from DB visited their family home at Kamrangirchar on Tuesday and provided assurance of identifying the culprits.
“We are keeping faith in our law enforcement agencies. What else can we do? After my brother’s death, the whole family is shattered,” he said.
Politically motivated investigation
Meanwhile, BNP activists have accused the police of turning the incident into a politically motivated investigation.
According to the legal counsel of the accused, in this case, two names among the 24 accused have appeared out of no rational judgment.
Barrister Kaiser Kamal said the 23rd accused in the case, Mintu, died two years ago and the fourth accused, Tipu, a former president of Dhaka College Chatra Dal, has been living in Japan for seven years.
“The names of dead and expatriate people in the list clearly indicate that the case was filed to gain political advantage," he told the Bangla daily Prothom Alo.
On April 20, police filed two cases in connection with the clashes.
One was filed under the Explosives Act, and the other for sabotage, provocation, and assault on police.
A total of 1,200 people, including traders, shop workers, and students of Dhaka College, were accused in the cases.
Another case was initiated on April 23 against 150-200 unidentified people over the vandalizing of an ambulance during the clashes.
On the other hand, BNP leader Moqbul Hossain, who was arrested in connection with the clashes, has been sent to jail after remand.
Meanwhile, Dhaka College has also formed a three-member probe committee to investigate the roles of the students in the clashes. It is headed by the chairman of the mathematics department, Professor Akhil Chandra Biswas. The committee has been told to submit a report in five working days.
On the morning of April 19, the students of the college took to the streets to protest the assault on them and engaged in violent clashes with the traders and workers.
Nahid, a delivery man for an Elephant Road computer accessories store, sustained severe injuries in the violence. He died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital the same night.
Another store worker named Mursalin was wounded in the head by a thrown brickbat. He later died in a hospital.
