Prime Minister Seeks Update on Tonu Murder Case on Eid Day

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Dhaka, Bangladesh – The decade-old murder investigation into Sohagi Jahan Tonu, a college student whose body was found inside Comilla Cantonment in 2016, has begun to unravel following direct intervention from Prime Minister Tareque Rahman, according to Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md. Asaduzzaman. Speaking on Saturday, the minister confirmed that the Prime Minister’s personal inquiry into the case marked a significant turning point, with one suspect already arrested.

Minister Asaduzzaman made the remarks at a research outcome publication event held at the BRAC Centre in Mohakhali, Dhaka. He revealed that on the morning of Eid, Prime Minister Tareque Rahman had sent a report from the newspaper Prothom Alo to his mobile phone, inquiring about the progress of the Tonu murder case. Following Eid, the minister held a detailed discussion with the Prime Minister regarding the updates on the investigation on the first working day.

The event, jointly organized by the Bangladesh Supreme Court and BRAC, focused on identifying procedural impediments in women and child repression prevention tribunals and effective ways to resolve them. During the program, an attendee appealed to the law minister for justice in the Tonu murder case. In response, Minister Asaduzzaman reiterated the Prime Minister’s keen interest, referencing the specific message he received.

He further elaborated that the complexities surrounding the case, which had persisted for 10 years, were now beginning to untangle, and an individual linked to the murder has already been apprehended.

Later, when questioned by journalists about the case’s progress, the law minister stated that many tasks that had not been accomplished over the past decade were now being initiated within two months, following the Prime Minister’s directives. He clarified, however, that while the efforts are significant, the matter does not currently fall within the specific purview of the Law Ministry but is considered to be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Regarding “two other persons,” he affirmed that the ministry would express its goodwill and position in accordance with legal guidance and interpretations.

Sohagi Jahan Tonu, then a student of Comilla Victoria College, disappeared on the evening of March 20, 2016, after going to tutor at a house within the Comilla Cantonment. Her body was subsequently discovered in a bush near the cantonment’s power house after a search. The following day, Tonu’s father, Yar Hossain – then an office assistant for the Cantonment Board, now retired – filed a murder case at the Comilla Kotwali Model Police Station against unnamed assailants, mentioning his own name in the complaint.