Student wing leader dies after falling from rooftop during police raid in Savar

Published : Friday, 7 August, 2026 at 7:01 PM

Observer staff correspondent

File Photo

A local student wing leader was killed after falling from the rooftop of a five-storey residential building during a police operation in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, late Thursday night. The incident, which occurred during a raid to recover a missing teenage girl, has prompted the Dhaka District Police to form a five-member investigation committee amid conflicting accounts from police and witnesses.

A local student wing leader was killed after falling from the rooftop of a five-storey residential building during a police operation in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, late Thursday night. The incident took place around midnight in the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) residential area. In response, the Dhaka District Police have formed a five-member investigation committee to determine the circumstances surrounding the death.

The deceased was identified as Monowarul Hossain Bokshi, 29, vice-president of Savar Thana unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD). He was the son of BPATC night guard Zafar Mia and lived with his family on the fourth floor of a five-storey building inside the BPATC compound.

According to police and local sources, Monowarul's nephew, Shahriar Kabir Soumik, allegedly brought a teenage girl named Mim from Pirganj in Rangpur to Savar on July 23 following a romantic relationship. The girl's family subsequently filed a general diary (GD) with Pirganj Police Station reporting her missing.

Acting on information obtained through technology-based tracking, a team led by Sub-Inspector Kanak Ranjan Barman of Pirganj Police Station arrived in Savar on Thursday night to recover the girl, with assistance from Savar Police.

Police said officers from Pirganj Police entered Monowarul's residence around midnight while members of Savar Police remained stationed outside the building. According to the police version, neither Soumik nor the missing girl was found inside the apartment. During the operation, Monowarul allegedly went up to the rooftop and later fell from the building. He was rushed to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

However, a neighbour, Russell Moni, offered a different account. He claimed that after hearing a loud noise around 12:30 am, he came outside and saw a police officer standing on the rooftop while Monowarul's body lay on the ground below. He alleged that the officer came down a few minutes later and left the scene in a microbus along with other police personnel.

Russell said Monowarul was initially attended to by a physician from the BPATC clinic before being taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital on the doctor's advice.

Dhaka District JCD Joint Secretary Sujon Shikdar also alleged that police chased Monowarul onto the rooftop during the operation, after which he fell from the building.

Rejecting the allegation, SI Kanak Ranjan Barman said the police team had gone to the residence after confirming the missing girl's location through technology. He claimed that only Monowarul's parents were present in the apartment when officers arrived. While speaking with them, officers heard a loud sound outside and discovered Monowarul lying on the ground. According to the officer, Monowarul's father then identified him as his son.

Savar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saiful Alam said Savar Police had provided assistance to the visiting Pirganj police team in line with standard procedure, and that local police members remained outside the building during the operation.

He said it is still unclear how Monowarul fell from the rooftop and confirmed that the Dhaka District Police Superintendent has formed a five-member investigation committee to uncover the facts. The committee is expected to submit its findings after completing the inquiry.

The incident has raised questions among local residents over who was on the rooftop during the operation and what exactly happened before Monowarul fell. Authorities said those issues would be examined during the investigation.

-OF/HIS