Murder of Biswajit Das

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Murder of Biswajit Das
Part of Violence of Bangladesh Chhatra League
Location 23°48′15″N90°24′55″E / 23.80417°N 90.41528°E / 23.80417; 90.41528
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Date9 December 2012; 13 years ago
c. 9:00 am (UTC+6)
VictimBiswajit Das
Litigation See trial

On 9 December 2012, Biswajit Das, a tailor from Dhaka, Bangladesh, was murdered by members of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the Awami League. [1] That morning, the opposition 18 Party Alliance had called for a nationwide road blockade. As Das was on his way to his shop, located in Shankhari Bazaar in Old Dhaka, one or more small explosives detonated near an anti-blockade procession organized by BCL activists from Jagannath University. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Background

Biswajit Das was a 24-year-old tailor from Dhaka born to Ananta Chandra Das and Kalpana Rani Das. He owned a tailoring shop in Shankhari Bazaar, Old Dhaka, and was known for his peaceful nature, avoiding political involvement and demonstrations. [5]

Murder

On 9 December 2012, the 18 Party Alliance called for an anti-government blockade. Around 9:00 am, a group of opposition lawyers led a procession from the Old Dhaka Judge Court in support of the blockade. As they approached Victoria Park, a bomb exploded. [6] [7]

Activists from the Bangladesh Chhatra League units of Jagannath University and Kabi Nazrul Government College attacked the protesting lawyers. The lawyers attempted to flee, and in the chaos, Das, a bystander, ran for safety.

He first took shelter on the second floor of a nearby dental clinic. The group mistook Das for an opposition supporter and chased him from near Bahadur Shah Park into a nearby building. [3] They attacked him with machetes, iron bars, and hockey sticks, and struck him with an iron rod. [6] [2]

Severely injured, Das tried to escape into another building, but his attackers pursued him. His clothes were torn and his body was drenched in blood. Despite his injuries, he attempted to run again, but the assault continued. Eventually, he collapsed. [8]

Some passersby tried to take him to National Hospital, but the attackers blocked their way. Das attempted to escape but fell down at Shankhari Bazaar Road. A rickshaw-puller took Das to Mitford Hospital, where he died shortly after from his wounds. [3]

The daytime murder was captured live on television and sparked national outrage. [1] [2] Within days, Jagannath University expelled three students and revoked the certificates of two others for alleged involvement in the murder. The following week, the university expelled four more students. [9]

Aftermath

By 25 December, seven suspects were in police custody. [10] An eighth man was arrested on 26 May 2013. The eight were among twenty-one people indicted on 2 June for Das's murder. All were activists of the Jagannath University unit of the BCL. [2] Their trial started on 14 July. [11] All twenty-one were found guilty on 18 December 2013. Eight were sentenced to death and thirteen were sentenced to life in prison. Thirteen, including two of those sentenced to death, were convicted in absentia and, as of August 2017, had not been apprehended. [4] [12] [13]

In its 2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, the United States Department of State cited Das's murder as an example of political violence in connection with general strikes in Bangladesh. [14]

Trial and sentencing

Biswajit murder case
SerialName of accusedCourt verdictAppeal verdictCurrent status [15] [16]
1Saiful IslamDeath sentenceAcquitted (11 July 2017)Free
2Kaiyum MiaDeath sentenceAcquitted (11 July 2017)Free
3G M Rasheduzzaman alias ShaonDeath sentenceLife imprisonmentIncarcerated
4Mahfuzur Rahman alias NahidDeath sentenceLife imprisonmentIncarcerated
5Imdadul Haque alias EmdadDeath sentenceLife imprisonmentIncarcerated
6Rafiqul Islam alias ShakilDeath sentenceDeath sentenceIncarcerated
7Rajan TalukderDeath sentenceDeath sentenceFugitive
8Nure AlamDeath sentenceLife imprisonmentFugitive
9A H M KibriaLife imprisonmentAcquitted (11 July 2017)Free
10Golam MostafaLife imprisonmentAcquitted (11 July 2017)Free
11Khondaker Yunus AliLife imprisonmentIncarcerated (31 October 2022)
12Tareq Bin Zohar TamalLife imprisonmentIncarcerated (25 June 2018)
13AlauddinLife imprisonmentIncarcerated (15 July 2022)
14Obaidul Kader TahsinLife imprisonmentFugitive
15Imran HossainLife imprisonmentIncarcerated (10 August 2021)
16Azizur Rahman AzizLife imprisonmentFugitive
17Al Amin SheikhLife imprisonmentFugitive
18Rafiqul IslamLife imprisonmentFugitive
19Monirul Haque PavelLife imprisonmentFugitive
20Kamrul HasanLife imprisonmentFugitive
21Mosharraf HossainLife imprisonmentFugitive

References

  1. 1 2 "Biswajit Murder: HC verdict on Aug 6". The Daily Star. 18 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "21 BCL men indicted". The Daily Star. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Eight to die for Biswajit murder, 13 get life". bdnews24.com . 18 December 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Bangladesh sentences eight students to death for murder". LiveMint . Agence France-Presse. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  5. ↑ bdnews24.com. "'Weak autopsy report to save Biswajit killers'". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 15 March 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. 1 2 "তিন আসামি রিমান্ডে - প্রথম আলো" [Three accused on remand]. Prothom Alo . 18 December 2013. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  7. ↑ "Biswajit murder: Another fugitive convict held". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  8. ↑ bdnews24.com. "Eight to die for Biswajit murder, 13 get life". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 15 March 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "JnU expels 4 more". bdnews24.com . 20 December 2012. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  10. ↑ "7th Biswajit killing accused on police remand". bdnews24.com . 25 December 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  11. ↑ "Biswajit Killing Case: HC order rejected". Dhaka Tribune . 4 November 2013. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  12. ↑ "Bangladesh sentences eight students to death for murder". BBC News . 18 December 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  13. ↑ "8 Awami activists get death for murder of Hindu man". The Hindu. PTI. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  14. ↑ "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012: Bangladesh". US State Department . Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  15. ↑ বিশ্বজিৎ হত্যা: মৃত্যুদণ্ড থেকে রেহাই ছয় ছাত্রলীগ নেতা-কর্মীর, হতাশ বিশ্বজিতের পরিবার [Biswajit Murder: Six Chhatra League Leaders and Activists Spared from Death Sentence, Biswajit’s Family Disheartened]. BBC News বাংলা (in Bengali). 6 August 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  16. ↑ বিশ্বজিৎ হত্যাকাণ্ড: ২ জনের মৃত্যুদণ্ড বহাল, ১৫ জনের যাবজ্জীবন [Biswajit Murder Case: Death Sentence Upheld for 2, Life Imprisonment for 15].[ permanent dead link ]
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