Tofazzal lynching at DU: Accused student goes missing after filing surrender petition
During the hearing of the case, neither the lawyer nor the accused could be found despite being called by the court, said Sub-Inspector Jinnat Ali of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police prosecution division.
A Dhaka University (DU) student, accused in the lynching of a youth on suspicion of theft at Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, has gone missing after submitting an application to surrender before a Dhaka court.
The accused, Md Rashed Kamal Anik, a student of the Department of Soil, Water and Environment, filed a surrender petition along with a bail plea through his lawyer, Jamal Uddin, at the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana today (15 March).
However, during the hearing of the case, neither the lawyer nor the accused could be found despite being called by the court, said Sub-Inspector Jinnat Ali of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police prosecution division.
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Attempts to contact Anik's lawyer Jamal Uddin for comments were unsuccessful as he did not receive phone calls.
Earlier, the court took cognisance of the charge sheet submitted by the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) against 28 accused on 10 March. As 22 of them remain absconding, arrest warrants have been issued against them. Md Rashed Kamal Anik is among the fugitives.
Other accused include former deputy science and technology secretary of the Bangladesh Chhatra League's Fazlul Huq Hall unit and Physics Department student Md Jalal Mia; Md Ahsan Ullah alias Bipul Sheikh; Geography Department student Al Hossain Sazzad; Institute of Nutrition and Food Science student Md Mottakin Sakin Shah; Soil, Water and Environment Department student Suman Mia; Wazibul Alam, Md Firoz Kabir, Md Abdus Samad, Md Sakib Raihan, Md Yasin Ali Gain, Md Yamujjaman alias Yam, Md Fazle Rabbi, Shahriar Kabir Shovon, Md Mehedi Hasan Imran, Md Ratul Hasan, Md Sultan Mia, Md Nasir Uddin, Md Mobashwer Billah, Shishir Ahmed, Md Mohsin Uddin alias Shafi, Abdullahil Kafi; Sheikh Ramjan Ali Rocky; Moniruzzaman Sohag; Abu Raihan; Redowanur Rahman Parvez; Rabbikul Riad; and Ashraf Ali Munshi.
Among them, Ahsan Ullah alias Bipul Sheikh and Wazibul Alam are on bail. Jalal Mia, Al Hossain Sazzad, Md Mottakin Sakin Shah and Suman Mia are currently in jail, while the remaining 22 accused are absconding.
On 18 September 2024 at around 7:45pm, Tofazzal Hossain, a mentally unstable youth, was beaten to death on suspicion of theft at Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall of University of Dhaka.
The following day, Mohammad Amanullah, supervisor of the university's estate office, filed a case with Shahbagh Police Station in the capital.
After investigating the case, Shahbagh Police Station Inspector Md Asaduzzaman submitted a chargesheet to the court on 1 January 2025, accusing 21 Dhaka University students.
However, stating that the investigation was not conducted properly, the Dhaka University administration filed a no-confidence petition against the police chargesheet.
On 26 February last year, then Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Saifuzzaman ordered the PBI to reinvestigate the case.
Following the reinvestigation, investigation officer PBI Additional Superintendent of Police Md Hannanul Islam submitted a fresh charge sheet on 18 December last year against 28 people, including seven new accused.
