TDS Desk:

The family of retired army personnel Md Hafizur Rahman has questioned his arrest nearly a decade after the murder of Sohagi Jahan Tonu, saying investigators have yet to find evidence linking him to the killing.

They also questioned why Hafizur was arrested despite his DNA allegedly not matching samples collected from Tonu’s body.

Hafizur was not named in the first information report (FIR), and repeated questioning during the investigation did not establish his involvement in the murder, his family claimed at a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday.

Barrister M Sarwar Hossain, Hafizur’s lawyer, made the claims at the press conference. Hafizur’s wife Rowshan Ara Lipi and their three children were also present.

According to Sarwar, investigators focused on phone calls between Hafizur and Tonu on 13 and 18 March 2016. Hafizur was taken from his home in Keraniganj, Dhaka, on 21 April for questioning, and his DNA sample was later collected following a court order.

The family claims a report submitted to the court on 24 June found no match between Hafizur’s DNA and samples collected from Tonu’s body.

WHY DID HAFIZUR SPEAK TO TONU?

Sarwar said Hafizur was responsible for organising a cultural programme marking the anniversary of the Static Signal Battalion at Cumilla Cantonment on 18 March 2016.

He contacted Tonu on 13 March to discuss her participation in the programme.

They spoke again on 18 March, when Tonu told him she was in Sreemangal with her theatre group and would not be able to attend, the lawyer said.

Tonu went missing on the evening of 20 March. Her body was recovered that night from a bushy area near the Power House in the Alipur area of Cumilla Cantonment.

Hafizur’s family claims he was at his official residence inside the cantonment with his wife and children that night.

DNA EVIDENCE:

DNA testing became a major part of the investigation after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said in May 2017 that semen from three men had been detected in samples collected from Tonu’s clothing.

However, the DNA profiles were not compared with those of suspects at the time.

On 6 April this year, PBI Inspector Md Tarikul Islam, the investigation officer, sought court permission to collect DNA samples from three suspects for comparison.

They included Hafizur, Sergeant Zahid and soldier Shaheen Alam, who were serving at Cumilla Cantonment when Tonu was killed.

The court allowed the collection of their samples. Hafizur was subsequently arrested, and his DNA sample was sent for forensic examination.

The investigation officer had said the DNA matching process was underway and that details would be disclosed after the results were available.

BAIL GRANTED, THEN STAYED:

Hafizur’s family has also questioned the legal process following his arrest.

According to the family, the High Court granted him bail on 2 August and he was released from jail two days later.

The prosecution subsequently appealed against the bail.

On 6 August, an Appellate Division chamber judge stayed the High Court order and directed Hafizur to surrender within 24 hours.

The family said Hafizur did not flee and voluntarily surrendered following the order. He is now in Cumilla Jail.

He had earlier been sent to jail after completing a three-day remand following his arrest in April.

Lawyer alleges arrest was aimed at easing investigation pressure.

Sarwar said Hafizur should not be subjected to further harassment if there were no specific allegations against him.

He called for a transparent and impartial investigation and demanded that those responsible for Tonu’s murder be brought to justice.

The lawyer claimed Hafizur had been questioned several times since the murder but investigators had failed to find evidence of his involvement.

He further alleged that instructions may have come from the Ministry of Law and Justice to expedite the investigation and claimed Hafizur was arrested to ease pressure on investigators.

However, these claims could not be independently verified.

Hafizur’s wife Rowshan Ara said, “My husband was at home that night.”

TONU MURDER CASE REMAINS UNRESOLVED AFTER 10 YEARS:

Tonu, a student of Cumilla Victoria Government College and a theatre activist, went missing on 20 March 2016, while she was on her way to give private tuition at Cumilla Cantonment.

Her body was later recovered from a bush near the cantonment’s Power House.

The following day, her father Iar Hossain filed a murder case with Cumilla Kotwali Model Police Station against unidentified persons.

Police initially investigated the case, followed by the Detective Branch and the CID. The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) is now investigating it.

Despite investigations by several agencies and officers over the past decade, the motive for the murder and those responsible for the killing have yet to be established.

Hafizur’s arrest in April renewed activity in the long-running investigation, but his family and lawyer continue to question the basis for his arrest and the allegations against him.