Published : Sunday, 21 June, 2015, Time : 12:00 AM, View Count : 130
Law enforcement agencies have so far failed to arrest 26 out of the 56 accused in Feni's Fulgazi Upazila Chairman Ekramul Haque murder case. Police said that no disciplinary action has been taken against the ruling party leaders, charged in the Ekramul murder case, even though the police filed charge sheet in August last year. Feni Pub-lic Prosecu-tor Hafiz Ahammed said the trial would begin soon. "The court has issued arrest warrants and ordered to confiscate properties of the 26 fugitive accused." Asked why the accused Awami League leaders have not been removed from their posts, district unit President Abdur Rahman said they were yet to take a decision about it. Ekram, the ruling Awami League-backed chairman of Feni's Fulgazi upazila, was killed in broad daylight on May 20 last year by a group of assailants - some of who are close aides of local Awami League lawmaker Nizam Hazari. They shot Ekram and later set his vehicle on fire. Thirteen months after the murder, Ekram's family expresses frustration over the case's pace and doubts they will get justice. Tasmin Akhter, wife of the slain leader, alleged that the charge sheet was nothing but eyewash. "Our only demand was a fair judgement. But we do not know what is actually happening with the case," she told the Daily Observer on Saturday. Police filed the charge sheet on August 28 last year against 56 people naming BNP leader Mahtabuddin Ahmed Chowdhury Minar, who had contested the upazila elections against Ekram, as the prime accused. Though his name came since the killing, the investigators never interrogated lawmaker Nizam Hazari before submitting the charge sheets. "So far 35 accused have been arrested by the police and the Rapid Action Battalion. Seven of them got bail from courts," Inspector Abul Kalam Azad of Feni model police station, also investigation officer of the case, said. Some of the key accused affiliated with the Awami League and its associate bodies are Jahangir Mohammad Adel, the district Awami League joint secretary; Jahidul Islam alias Jihad Chowdhury, joint secretary of Fulgazi upazila Awami League; Councillor Abdullah Hil Mahmud Shiblu; Ziaul Haq Mister, municipality Jubo League joint convener; and Belal Hossain Patwary, a local Awami League leader. Some ruling party leaders and legal experts have expressed frustration over the charge sheet terming it flawed. Meanwhile, the family members said Nizamuddin Hazari was directly involved in the killing of Fulgazi upazila parishad chairman Ekramul Huque. Meanwhile, police dropped the name - Nizamuddin Hazari AL lawmaker of Feni-2 constituency, from the charge sheet. Several officials who were involved with investigating of Ekramul Huque murder case preferring anonymity disclosed to the Daily Observer that the police had filed the charge sheet putting the name of Nizamuddin Hazari, who was the main planer to kill Ekramul. Lawyers said police had not seized the mobile phone with which the attack on Ekram was recorded. Moreover, addresses of many of the accused were not mentioned in the charge sheet while some of those were wrong. Most of the arms used in the murder are yet to be recovered. The killers had gathered people at the murder spot saying that they would hold a political programme there. But the police did not mention about it in the charge sheet. Abdul Kalam Azad, officer-in-charge of Feni DB and investigating officer of the case police told The Daily Observer that the charge sheet had been submitted following thorough investigation and analysing the statements of 16 accused who gave confessional statements before the court.