Family quizzed once again

Sohagi Jahan Tonu

With no arrest made and no one except the family members quizzed even in 13 days into the murder of Sohagi Jahan Tonu, her parents were once again interrogated by law enforcers yesterday.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which took up the murder probe on Tuesday, recorded the statements of Tonu's parents and three other members of the family at its office in Comilla.

“We have just started the investigation. We are interrogating Tonu's parents to be clear about some matters," said Nazmul Karim Khan, special superintendent of CID's Comilla-Noakhali division.

“It is a continuous process. The CID officials will talk to them again, if needed, for the sake of investigation," he told The Daily Star over the phone.

A CID team brought Tonu's parents Yaar Hossain and Anwara Begum, elder brother Nazmul, younger brother Anwar, and a cousin-sister to its office from their residence around 3:00pm for the interrogation, said ASP of CID Mojammel Haq.

In the morning, a joint CID team of Dhaka and Comilla visited the crime scene in Comilla Moinamoti Cantonment and nearby areas, reports UNB.

Earlier, Kotwali Police Station in the city and local Detective Branch (DB) of police investigated the case filed by Yaar Hossain, an employee of Comilla Cantonment Board.

On March 26, the family members, including the parents, were brought to the office of Rab-11 in Comilla city around 3:30am from their Mirzapur village home in Muradnagar upazila.

They went to the village to bury the 19-year-old college student.

The Rab men dropped them at their Comilla Cantonment residence around 5:00am after the interrogation, family members said. Khorshed Alam, commander of Rab-11 in Comilla, confirmed this.

Again in the afternoon the same day, detectives took the family members from the Cantonment house to Kotwali Police Station for interrogation.

Visiting the crime scene on Thursday, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Dr Mizanur Rahman said the family of the victim should not be harassed in the name of collecting information or by any means.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan at a programme in the capital yesterday said, “The way the investigation is going on, soon we will be able to disclose how the murder was committed and who were involved."

Tonu, a second-year history student of Comilla Victoria Government College and a theatre activist, was found dead in Moinamoti Cantonment area on the night of March 20.

The murder sparked a storm of protest across the country, mostly from students. 

In Dhaka, Bangladesh Chhatra Union (BCU) yesterday brought out a procession carrying sticks in Shahbagh area.

At a rally before the procession, Chhatra Union President Lucky Akhter, expressing dissatisfaction over the murder probe, said, "The second autopsy proved that the first one was not done properly. Moreover, evidence of the rape and murder is being destroyed. The incident is being covered up."

The body of Tonu was exhumed on Wednesday for a fresh autopsy as police say they found the first one not matching their inquest report.

However, the findings of the first autopsy were not made public.

During his visit to Comilla, the NHRC boss also said it was necessary to bring to book those responsible for the inadequacy in the first post-mortem, which was done the day after Tonu's body was found.

The home minister yesterday said, “We are doing a fresh autopsy … the CID had suspicion, so they are conducting autopsy again.”    

To protest the murder and demanding immediate arrest of the killer(s), Dhaka University students along with students of more than five educational institutions of the capital have called strike at all educational institutions across the country for today.

The Gonojagoron Mancha and 13 left leaning student organisations have expressed solidarity with the strike.

Chhatra Union has called another strike at all schools and colleges in the country tomorrow on the same ground.