Taqi murder: 15 prominent citizens demand start of trial

Fifteen prominent citizens have demanded the start of trial for the murder of Tanvir Muhammad Taqi, a 17-year-old killed in Narayanganj in 2013. 

In a joint statement issued today (2 March), they called for expediting the filing of a charge sheet in the murder case in court to start the trial process.

"Even after 12 years, the charge sheet for this murder has not been submitted to the court yet. We have repeatedly demanded a trial for this murder through statements, press conferences, rallies and writings. But the previous government did not allow the trial process to begin for 11 years," reads the statement.

After the political change on 5 August last year, several accused were arrested and the case gained new momentum when they gave statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, it said. 

"This made us hopeful. But now, the trial process is stagnant again. We demand the immediate submission of the charge sheet and the initiation of the trial process," said the signatories in the statement.

The signatories included Language Movement activist and writer Ahmed Rafiq, Dhaka University emeritus professor Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, educationist Jatin Sarkar, human rights activist Badiul Alam Majumdar, educationist Syed Manjurul Islam, lawyer Shahdeen Malik, economist Anu Muhammad, educationist Salimullah Khan, photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam, writer and women's leader Maleka Begum, human rights activist Khushi Kabir, poet and journalist Sohrab Hasan, folk artist Kafil Ahmed, Dhaka University Department of International Relations Professor Tanjimuddin Khan, and lawyer and human rights activist Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua.

Earlier in September last year, the RAB arrested five accused in the Taqi murder case. The arrestees are: Yaar Mohammad aka Parvez, Safayet Hossain Shipon, Mamun Mia, Kajol Howlader, and Jamshed Sheikh.

Azmeri Osman, son of late lawmaker AKM Nasim Osman and nephew of former MP Shamim Osman, is the prime accused in the case.

A total of 11 people, including Azmeri, were involved in the killing of Taqi, according to a leaked probe report prepared by RAB within the first year of his death.

According to the leaked report, Azmeri Osman and his accomplices abducted Taqi on 6 March 2013. They later tortured him, killed him and dumped his body in the Shitalakhya River the next day.

A day after his body was found, Taqi's A-level results were out. He had gotten the world's highest marks in physics in that exam, obtaining 297 out of 300.

His father Rafiur Rabbi filed a case with the Narayanganj Sadar Model Police Station.

Later, on 18 March of that year, he submitted a supplementary complaint to the superintendent of police against seven people, including Shamim Osman, and 8-10 unnamed others.