A court in Dhaka has acquitted Jatiya Party (JaPa-Manju) leader and former lawmaker Golam Faruq Ovi, in his absentia, in a case filed over the murder of model Syeda Tania Mahbub Tinni on November 10, 2002.
Judge Mosammat Shahinur Akhter of Dhaka 2nd Additional District and Sessions Judge's Court, pronounced the judgment on Tuesday (January 14) afternoon.
In the judgment, the judge said the prosecution has completely failed to prove the charges brought against the accused of the case.
So, the accused Golam Faruq Ovi has been acquitted from the charges, he said.
The judge said since the prosecution could not prove the charges of Tinni murder against the accused, he has been acquitted from the case.
So, it remains unknown who had murdered Tinni. This sensational case has also been added to the list of unresolved cases.
Expressing resentment, the prosecution lawyer Syed Md Abu Zafar Rizvi said decision on filing an appeal would be taken after reading the full judgement.
During the trial, Tinni's father Syed Mahbub Karim on February 5, 2022 gave his statements before the court and sought exemplary punishment for the accused in the case.
Earlier, the prosecution and the state-appointed lawyer completed their arguments and the court recorded statements of 26, out of 41, prosecution witnesses, including the complainant of the case.
None of the victim's family was present at the court during the Tuesday's judgment.
On November 10, 2002 -- almost 23 years ago, police recovered Tinni's body from a pillar under Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge over the Buriganga River at Postogola in the capital.
Then a case was filed with Keraniganj Police Station on the same day.
Following the incident, Shafiuddin, a sub-inspector of the police station, on different dates arrested Tinni's ex-husband Shafakat Ahmed Pial, Swapan Gazi, Gazi Sharifullah Tapan, Shafiqul Islam Jewel and Somnath Saha Bappy.
But, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) official Mozammel Huq pressed charge against Ovi on November 8, 2008 and dropped the names of Pial and others as the charges brought against them were not proven.
According to the charge sheet, Ovi murdered Tinni when she became persistent in her demand to give her social recognition through marriage.
Soon after the murder, Ovi moved to Canada after securing bail and challenging a 1992 trial court verdict, which sentenced him to 17 years in jail in an arms case, according to the charge sheet filed with the court.
Following the submission of charge sheet in Tinni murder, the trial of the case began after two years on July 14, 2010 accusing absconding Ovi.
Then the court issued an arrest warrant against Ovi, asking him to appear before it on different dates, but Ovi did not comply with the court order.
So, the trial of the case has been held in Ovi's absence from the beginning to the end. The judgement has also been pronounced in his absence.
Dhaka University student Ovi was the international affairs secretary of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) in the 1980s. Known as a 'cadre' on the campus, he was also arrested in a murder case in 1989.
At the final stage of the anti-autocratic mass movement in 1990, Ovi left the JCD and joined hands with HM Ershad. Ovi is also held responsible for the murder of Dr Shamsul Huq Milon on the campus.
In the national election in 1996, Jatiya Party nominated candidate Ovi was elected MP from Barisal-2 (Babuganj-Ujirpur) constituency beating Workers Party general secretary Rashed Khan Menon.
During the rule of BNP-Jamaat alliance government, a joint drive was being carried out in 2002 to arrest the terrorists. Receiving information from the locals, Keraniganj Police Station's assistant sub-inspector Md Shafiuddin went to recover the body of Tinnin from under the Buriganga Bridge. He later filed the case.
Shafiuddin prepared an on-spot report bringing the body on the bank of the river. Then he took the body to Mitford Hospital morgue for postmortem.
As there was no claimant of Tinni's body after the postmortem, the body was handed over to Anjuman Mafidul Islam for burial as an unclaimed one. The body was later buried at Jurain Graveyard.
It was mentioned in the on-spot report that there were bruising marks throughout Tinni's body. There was a mark of injury of a blunt weapon on her head. After examining the marks of injury, police became confirmed that it was an act of homicide.
