Taqi’s murder in the list of unsolved mysteries

Why has no charge sheet been submitted in six years?

Tanwir Muhammad Taqi

It has been six years since the body of 17-year-old Tanwir Muhammad Taqi, a brilliant student, was found on the bank of the river Shitalakkhya after he had gone missing for two days in March 2013. According to his family, his murder is the result of a personal vendetta against Taqi’s father, cultural activist Rafiur Rabbi, for his political views. The fact that investigators did not submit a charge sheet before the court over the murder case filed by Taqi’s family gives rise to disturbing questions. Why has there been no charge sheet submitted after six years of this murder? Why have the law enforcement officers failed to arrest the people who have been accused by Taqi’s family? There have been rallies and discussions demanding justice for Taqi and his family, yet these have fallen on deaf ears. 

There is little doubt that the murderers are being protected by the culture of impunity enjoyed by the politically well-connected. There have been allegations against certain political leaders but because of their powerful connections, there has been no attempt to arrest them. Such inordinate delay in the investigation reflects an indifference on the part of the state to get to the bottom of the mystery. For ordinary people, when there is no justice for these horrendous crimes, it erodes confidence in the judicial system. Unfortunately for Bangladesh, there have been too many unsolved murders—Taqi, Tonu, Shagor-Runi— with no sign of progress in the investigations.

Now that the government seems to be trying to clamp down on corruption and crime committed by those associated with the ruling party, it would only be befitting if these unsolved murders are investigated properly and the culprits brought to book, regardless of their political connections. For Taqi’s family and the families of other such victims, only when the murderers are meted exemplary punishment will there be some closure. This is also the only way that public confidence in the state’s ability to ensure justice for its citizens can be restored.  

• Courtesy  - The Daily Star/October 27, 2019