This article is about the Narayanganj Seven Murder Case. This killing is carried out by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Seven people, including Nazrul Islam, a panel mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation, were killed by RAB and later found in the Shitalakshya River. This case was one of the most important ones at that time and took importance from all over the country.
Facts of the Narayanganj Seven Murder Case
On 27th April 2014, Nazrul Islam, a panel mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation, along with three associates and his driver, went missing from the Fatullah area of Narayanganj. On the same day, his lawyer, Chandan Kumar Sarker, who was following Nazrul Islam’s car, also disappeared along with his driver from the same location. Within a week after their disappearance, the lifeless bodies of the victims were discovered floating in the Shitalakshya River, located in the Narayanganj District.
Following these incidents, two separate cases were filed in connection with the murders. Nazrul Islam’s wife, Selina Islam Beauty, lodged a case against six individuals, including Nur Hossain, the vice president of the Siddhirganj Awami League and Councillor. Additionally, Chandan’s son-in-law, Bijoy Kumar Paul, filed another case against Nazmul Haque, a partner of an engineering firm, and some unknown individuals.
Nazrul’s father-in-law, Shahidul Islam, made a serious allegation, claiming that the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel abducted and killed Nazrul Islam in exchange for a sum of Tk 60 million from local ward councilor Nur Hossain.
Judgment
On 16th January 2017, the Narayanganj court delivered its verdict. The court found 26 people, including former Awami League leader Nur Hossain and 16 ex-RAB officials, namely Tareque Sayeed, Arif Hossain, and Masud Rana, guilty of the seven murders and sentenced them to death. Additionally, nine other associates of Nur Hossain and ex-RAB members were given varying prison sentences in the same verdict. The judge, who delivered the verdict, expressed that the charges of abduction, murder, concealing the bodies, conspiracy, and destroying evidence were proven beyond any doubt during the trial.
The convicted filed leave to appeal to the High Court Then, the High Court upheld the death penalty for 15 convicts, including three former top Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officials, and expelled Awami League leader Nur Hossain. These individuals were found guilty of conspiracy, abduction, and killing of the seven victims, including Narayanganj City Corporation panel mayor Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Sarker. The victims were kidnapped on April 27, 2014, from the Dhaka-Narayanganj link road and later found dead in the Shitalakkhya River.
The High Court bench, comprising Justice Bhabani Prasad Singha and Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam, also commuted the capital punishment of 11 other convicts to life imprisonment. These eleven individuals had previously been sentenced to death by a Narayanganj court for their involvement in the murder case. Additionally, the High Court upheld the jail terms of nine others, with sentences ranging from seven to 17 years.
In the full text of the verdict, the High Court outlined the heinous nature of the crime, stating that the victims were kidnapped and killed in a pre-planned manner under criminal conspiracy. The accused twisted their mouths with polythene and strangled them with ropes before disposing of their bodies in the river. The court also highlighted the influential and powerful position of accused Nur Hossain, who managed to silence the victims and filed a false case against one of them to evade accountability.
