5 Years into Taqi Murder: No justice yet, thanks to culture of impunity

Taqi's killers could not be brought to justice even after five years because of the culture of impunity prevailing in the country, noted personalities said yesterday.

At a roundtable at the Jatiya Press Club, they also demanded Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's intervention in punishing the culprits as early as possible.

Santrash Nirmul Taqi Mancha, a platform working to curb crimes in Narayanganj, organised the programme marking the fifth anniversary of the sensational murder.

Dhaka University's Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury termed the murder a “political killing”. He said it helped reveal how “the state could be involved in an incident like this”.

Tanwir Muhammad Taqi was a symbol of the youth and denying him justice meant the youngsters in the country were being denied a proper environment to grow up, he said.

“The nation's future will be dark if the youngsters live in danger,” he added.

Renowned economist Prof Anu Mohammad alleged that fundamentalist groups tried to gag Taqi's father Rafiur Rabbi.

Rabbi, who had been to countless demonstrations and public events to talk about his grievances, yesterday said the investigation revealed the involvement of some members of the Osman family in the murder.

But the charge sheet in the case was not submitted, and “assurance came from government high-ups that the perpetrators would be protected”, he said.

A-level student, Taqi, 17, went missing after he left home for a library in Narayanganj city in the afternoon of March 6 in 2013. His body was found floating in the Shitalakkhya river on March 8 morning.

Rabbi has been alleging that the murderers could not be brought to book due to “interventions” from some influential quarters.

The then investigating agency, Rapid Action Battalion, had announced unearthing the mystery behind the killing. It also had claimed to have completed the investigation within a year of the incident, he said at the discussion yesterday.

“It was about to submit the [investigation] report but stopped because the government wanted it to stop,” he added.

He also alleged that “inappropriate” reports were published in different dailies, saying the investigation was not completed yet.

Referring to the Rab investigation, Taqi Mancha Member Secretary Halim Azad said 11 people led by Ajmeri Osman, son of former Jatiya Party MP Nasim Osman and nephew of Shamim Osman, killed Taqi.

The day Taqi went missing, Rabbi filed a general dairy with Narayanganj Kotwali Police Station. He filed a murder case with the same police station on the day the body was found.

He submitted a complaint to the Narayanganj superintendent of police 10 days later, accusing seven people, including Shamim Osman and his son Ayon Osman and 8-10 unnamed others, of murdering Taqi.

The Osman family has all along been denying its involvement in the murder.

At yesterday's programme, Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar also demanded justice for college girl Sohagi Jahan Tonu, who was found murdered in bushes inside Comilla Cantonment on March 20, 2016, and journalist couple Sagar-Runi, who were killed six years ago.

Cultural personality Kamal Lohani, Liberation War Museum trustee Mofidul Haque, Udichi President Safiuddin Ahmed, journalist Ajoy Dasgupta, and politician Razekuzzaman Ratan also spoke.