An era of seven murders in Narayanganj: What happened that day

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April 27, 2014. A terrible day in the history of Narayanganj. Narayanganj City Corporation’s then Panel Mayor Nazrul Islam and his four associates were returning to Dhaka in a private car on bail from the court. Around 1.30 pm, a team of RAB set up a check post in Lamapara area of ​​Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road and picked up five people including Nazrul. Narayanganj’s senior lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarkar and his driver Ibrahim also went missing from the same road around the same time.

Three days later, on April 30, six bodies were recovered from the Shitalakshya river, and the next day another body was recovered. The murder of seven people, including a councilor and a lawyer, caused a stir across the country. The role of RAB is also questioned.

Today, Monday (April 27), marks the completion of an era of the seven murders in question. But the relatives are spending their days in anger, frustration and uncertainty as the verdict of the trial has not yet been implemented.

On January 16, 2017, the District and Sessions Judge Court of Narayanganj three former officers of RAB-11 (uninterrupted) Lt. in the case of seven murders. 26 people including Colonel Tarek Saeed, Major Arif Hossain, Commander MM Rana, Awami League leader and former ward councilor Noor Hossain were sentenced to death and 9 people were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. The convicts appealed to the High Court against this verdict. The High Court upheld the death sentence of 15 accused and commuted the sentence of 11 accused to life imprisonment. Apart from this, the sentences of 9 accused who have been sentenced to imprisonment for different periods are upheld. Several accused in the case including convicted Tarek Saeed, Noor Hossain are currently in jail.

Regarding the latest status of the case, Narayanganj District and Sessions Judge Court Public Counsel (PP) Abul Kalam Azad told Prothom Alo that the sensational seven-murder case is currently at the leave-to-appeal stage in the High Court.

Nazrul Islam, ward councilor and panel mayor of the city corporation, got bail after appearing in a case of Siddhirganj police station that afternoon. He left for Dhaka in a white private car from the court premises. Friend Liton Hossain, Jubo League worker Moniruzzaman Swapan, his driver Jahangir Alam and Sheikh Russel National Children and Youth Parishad Vice President of Siddhirganj Thana Committee Tajul Islam were with him.

At around 1:30 pm, when he reached Lamapara area of ​​Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road, Lt. RAB members in plain clothes stopped Nazrul’s car by setting up a checkpoint under the leadership of Commander MM Rana. From there, Major Arif Hossain kidnapped five people including Nazrul and took him in his microbus, the investigation of the case revealed.

At the same time, senior lawyer Chandan Sarkar, who was passing by that road, saw the incident. Later Chandan Sarkar and his car driver Ibrahim were picked up in another car by RAB-11 commander MM Rana in his microbus without any witnesses. The number of abductees stands at seven.

When the news of Councilor Nazrul Islam’s abduction came to light, tension spread in Siddhirganj area from that afternoon. Nazrul’s supporters blocked Dhaka-Narayanganj link road and Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Mouchak area of ​​Siddhirganj. It stops traffic for a long time. Vehicles were vandalized, road blocked and the communication system came to a standstill. To bring the situation under control, the police and RAB went and dispersed the protestors with batons.

Nazrul Islam’s wife Selina Islam complained to the journalists after the incident that several people including Councilor Noor Hossain had a dispute with her husband. Noor Hossain and his men kidnapped five people including her husband in the identity of RAB. She wants her husband back unharmed.

Denying the allegations, Nur Hossain said after the incident that he had heard about Nazrul’s abduction. However, he is not involved in this incident.

Three days after the abduction, on April 30, six bodies were recovered one by one from the Shitalakshya river. Another body was recovered the next day. Autopsy reveals images of brutality—first blow to the head. After that, he was strangulated by twisting a rope around his neck. To prevent the body from floating, holes were made under the abdomen.

Selina Islam, the wife of Nazrul, who was killed in the incident, filed a case against Noor Hossain as the main accused. Chandan’s son-in-law Vijay Kumar Pal also filed a case at Fatulla Model Police Station in connection with the murder of lawyer Chandan Sarkar and his car driver Ibrahim.

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Meanwhile, the lawyers of Narayanganj District Lawyers Association, including lawyer Chandan Sarkar, started a movement demanding court boycott and arrest of RAB officials involved in the seven murders. In the case of seven murders, an inquiry committee was formed on the orders of the High Court. The investigation committee held a public hearing on the murder and recorded the statements of various people including eyewitnesses. Later on the orders of the High Court, the captain of RAB-11 was arrested on May 17. Colonel (retd) Tarek Saeed, Major (retd) Arif Hossain and the next day Lt. Commander MM Rana.

The district administration canceled the license of 11 weapons of Noor Hossain and his associates in the incident of this murder. Noor Hossain’s hideout was raided and drugs and weapons were recovered.

Later, in the investigation of the case, three former RAB officers Tarek Saeed, Arif Hossain, MM Rana and other RAB officers made a confessional statement under section 164 in the court.

According to the statement, after kidnapping the seven people, Arif Hossain took them to Narsingdi area in a RAB microbus. At around 11:30 pm, seven people were rendered unconscious under the Kanchpur bridge by anesthetic injection. Later seven people were strangled to death by wrapping polythene in their mouths. To hide the body, he took it to the RAB trawler from under the Kanchpur bridge and went to the mouth of the Meghna river through the Shitalakshya river. There, each set of 12 bricks was tied to the body and thrown into the river.

The then No. 2 Ward Councilor and Panel Mayor Nazrul Islam of the City Corporation had a long-standing dispute with the No. 4 Ward Councilor and Awami League (currently banned) Siddhirganj Thana Branch Vice President Noor Hossain. Noor Hossain was a close associate of Awami League leader and former member of Parliament Shamim Osman.

Among these, there was a dispute between Nazrul and Nur Hossain’s cousin Mubarak regarding the widening of a city corporation road. From this, Nur Hossain’s dispute with Nazrul intensified. In this incident, Nur Hossain’s cousin Mubarak filed a case at Siddhirganj police station accusing Nazrul as the plaintiff. RAB-11 abducted five people including Nazrul Islam and his four associates on their way to Dhaka after appearing in Narayanganj court and getting bail in that case.

Nazrul’s wife Selina Islam told Prothom Alo, “Noor Hossain planned to kidnap my husband Nazrul that day using RAB to remove him from the world. I also held Tarek Saeed’s leg at that time so as not to kill my husband. But the RAB brutally killed seven people, including my husband, and threw them into the river. He said, the way a government force killed seven people, the people of the whole country have seen.

After the kidnapping incident, Nazrul’s father-in-law Shahid Hossain publicly complained that RAB-11 captain Lieut. Colonel Tarek Saeed kidnapped his son-in-law. His allegation caused an uproar.

Sakhawat Hossain, the then president of the District Bar Association and the lawyer of the plaintiff in this controversial case, told Prothom Alo, “The RAB members picked up the seven people including him as the Chandan government saw the matter of abduction. After knowing the matter, I went to the police and RAB office and tried to rescue him. Even when I went to RAB, they refused. In the case of Chandan Sarkar, Nazrul and seven people, we boycotted the court for 58 days and one hour and started protesting in the court premises. Later, when a writ petition was filed in the High Court, the accused ordered the arrest of the accused.

Selina Islam, the plaintiff in the seven murder case, lamented last Friday and told Prothom Alo, “The verdict has been passed, but the verdict has not been implemented – this is the biggest pain.” Not only the family of the deceased, but the countrymen also want to see this verdict implemented. We do not know why this judgment is pending in the Supreme Court. We have been in deep depression for an age. If the government wants, the verdict of the trial of the murderers will be effective.

When contacted, the Attorney General said. Ruhul Quddus Kajal told Prothom Alo over the phone, “In the final analysis, just as the victims get justice, the accused also get justice – it is important to ensure that.” We will try to complete the hearing and settle this case as soon as possible.