All accused have been acquitted in the murder case of Rajshahi University Chhatra League activist Faruk Hossain, a sensational case that had been ongoing for 15 years.
On Sunday afternoon, Judge Julfikar Ullah of Rajshahi Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court-1 delivered the verdict, acquitting all 114 accused, who were affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, at various levels.
Former Jamaat Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami and several senior party leaders had also been named in the case.
Public Prosecutor Ali Ashraf Masum said the court acquitted all the accused as the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
Of the 114 accused, nine have died, and among the remaining 105, only 25 were present in court when the verdict was announced, Masum added.
According to the case documents, on the night of February 8, 2010, a clash broke out between activists of the Chhatra League and Islami Chhatra Shibir near Shah Makhdum Hall on the Rajshahi University campus. Mathematics department student and Chhatra League activist Faruk Hossain was killed during the violence. His body was recovered from a manhole on campus the following day.
Following the incident, the then general secretary of the RU Chhatra League, Majedul Islam Apu, filed a case with Motihar Police Station. The case named 35 Jamaat-Shibir activists and included 20–25 unidentified suspects.
After investigation, police submitted a 1,269-page charge sheet to the court on July 28, 2012, accusing 114 people, including former Jamaat Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, former Rajshahi city Jamaat Ameer Ataur Rahman, and RU Chhatra Shibir leaders Shamsul Alam Golap and Mobarak Hossain.
Reacting to the verdict, Public Prosecutor Ali Ashraf Masum said, “It is too early to comment on satisfaction or dissatisfaction. We will review the full verdict once we receive the certified copy.”
He added, “However, it has long been suspected that the case was politically motivated, and the real perpetrators may have remained behind the scenes.”
