High Court orders judicial probe into ‘murdered’ girl's return in Narayanganj
The court has directed the Narayanganj chief judicial magistrate to submit a report, including the first information report (FIR) and statements of the victims and accused, to the court by November 4
The High Court on Thursday ordered a judicial probe into the return of a girl who was presumed raped and murdered in Narayanganj.
The teenage girl returned around one and half months after her disappearance, although three accused people pleaded guilty to raping and murdering her.
The High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Mostafizur Rahman passed the order.
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The court directed the Narayanganj chief judicial magistrate to submit a report, including the first information report (FIR) and statements of the victims and accused, to the court by November 4.
Earlier, on August 25 five lawyers filed an application at the High Court seeking the case documents, as well as the accuracy, legitimacy, and rationality of the case filed at Narayanganj Sadar model police station, and the statements of the accused under Section 164.
On August 27, the court summoned the former investigating officer of the case and directed the present investigating officer to appear with the case documents.
Following the order, they appeared before court on September 17. Later the court fixed September 24 as the date for passing the order.
Mohammad Shishir Monir appeared on behalf of the five lawyers, while lawyer Mansurul Haque Chowdhury was in favor of the former investigating officer on Thursday. Deputy Attorney General Md Sarwar Hossain represented the state.
This bizarre incident has caused a ruckus in Narayanganj, as questions have been raised about the police investigation and the statements of the three accused in court.
After two rounds of remand, the three accused – Rakib, Khalil, Abdullah – testified in court that they raped and killed the girl and dumped her body in the Shitalakshya River.
When the girl, who had been missing since July, returned home on August 23, her relatives claimed she had run away with a young man named Iqbal and had got married.
The family of the accused complained that their confessions were obtained through torture, even though the investigating officer in the case, Sub-Inspector (SI) Shamim Al Mamun, took Tk47,000 in bribes assuring them that they would not be beaten up during interrogation.
Currently the accused persons are free on bail.
A three-member investigation committee has been formed to probe the incident.
Action will be taken against SI Mamun if allegations of negligence in the investigation of the case against SI Shamim are proven.
