Police recommend exonerating Sheikh Hasina, 42 others in false July murder case
Case to be filed against complainant
Police have recommended dropping a murder case linked to the July 2024 student movement in Dhaka after the allegations were proven false.
The case accused then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 42 others of involvement in the death of Dulal, also known as Solaiman Selim, during unrest in the capital's Jatrabari area on 3 August 2024.
The case was filed at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, naming Selim as the victim and listing his profession as a transport helper. Jatrabari Police initially accepted the complaint based on the court's directive after recording the complainant's statement. However, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch later discovered that Selim had not been killed.
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Investigator Inamul Islam, sub-inspector of the Wari Division, submitted a final report on 30 November recommending the exoneration of Sheikh Hasina and 42 others. The report also requested permission to file a case under Section 211 against the complainant, Mostofa Kamal, for filing a false case.
Other notable figures recommended for exoneration include former ministers Obaidul Quader, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Ramesh Chandra Sen, Asaduzzaman Noor; former MP Shamim Osman; Shamim Osman's son Ayon Osman; and several student leaders, including former Chhatra League president Saddam Hossain and general secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan.
The report detailed the family background of the complainant and the alleged victim. Mostofa Kamal and Solaiman Selim were brothers, part of a family with four brothers and two sisters. Kamal, known locally as "Mosto Dakat" due to prior criminal activity, has multiple pending cases in Mymensingh, including a murder case, and has been absconding for ten years. Investigators found no evidence of contact between Kamal and Selim.
Police noted ongoing disputes between the brothers over land and concluded that Kamal had filed the case falsely to portray his brother as killed during the July movement, aiming to manipulate the court for financial gain.
One person, Miraj Khan, was shown as an arrested accused. His lawyer, Rashedul Islam Rashid, said Miraj is not politically active and was wrongly implicated in multiple cases, including this one.
