24 eminent citizens demand justice in Taqi murder case, hope for quick submission of charge sheet
The signatories said the delay in the trial has raised serious concerns about fundamental rights and the establishment of good governance
Twenty-four eminent citizens of the country have demanded justice for the murder of Narayanganj teenager Tanvir Muhammad Taqi, expressing concern that no trial has been completed even after 13 years.
The demand was made in a statement sent to the media today (28 February), signed by prominent academics, lawyers, human rights activists, and cultural figures.
"Tanvir Muhammad Taqi, a brilliant teenager from Narayanganj, was brutally murdered on 6 March 2013. Later that year, two killers gave confessional statements under Section 164, describing in detail how the murder was carried out," reads the statement.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"On 5 March 2014, the investigating agency Rapid Action Battalion held a press conference outlining why, when, where, how, and by whom Taqi was killed. However, at the will of the then head of government, the judicial process remained stalled for more than eleven and a half years."
They further said that although the interim government showed some initiative after the political change in 2024, there has been no "significant progress" in the one and a half years since it took office. Despite 101 scheduled hearing dates in the case, the charge sheet has yet to be submitted to the court.
The signatories said the delay in the trial has raised serious concerns about fundamental rights and the establishment of good governance.
"We hope that the charge sheet will be submitted to the court without any further delay. By completing this trial, the new government can take effective steps to restore public confidence in the judiciary and the justice system," adds the statement.
They emphasised that justice is a constitutional right of every citizen and that an independent judiciary is essential for democracy, equality, progress, human dignity, and civilisation.
The statement was signed by Dhaka University Emeritus Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury, educationist Syed Anwar Husain, Shujan Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar, Liberation War Museum trustee Sarwar Ali, Prof Ahmed Kamal, constitutional expert Shahdeen Malik, human rights activist Sultana Kamal, researcher Mofidul Hoque, Prof Shaukat Ara Hossain, Prof Shafi Ahmed, economist Prof Anu Muhammad, photographer Shahidul Alam, rights activist Khushi Kabir, recitation artist Bhaswar Bandyopadhyay, Lenin Chowdhury, poet and journalist Sohrab Hassan, artist Kofil Ahmed, Barrister Sara Hossain, Samina Luthfa, Prof AA Mamun, Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, artist Arup Rahi, artist Krishnokoli Islam, and artist Farzana Wahid Sayan, among others.
