Four BNP leaders – all from the same family in Maheshkhali of Cox’s Bazar – have been accused in a case filed over the murder case of Jagannath University student Ikramul Haque Sajid during the recent student movement.
The accused are Ziaur Rahman (45), Md Kamal (43), Mizanur Rahman Matabbar (55), and Nazmul Hossain (34) are listed as the accused in case numbers 29, 41, 54, and 62, respectively, according to the case statement.
They, however, denied the allegations and said they were not in Dhaka on the day Sajid was killed.
Sajid was injured during police firing in Mirpur on 4 August, while participating in the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. He succumbed to his injuries at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka on 14 August.
His father, Ziaul Haque, filed a murder case with Kafrul Police Station on 7 September naming former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal as the primary accused, along with 73 other individuals and 100-150 unidentified persons.
Of the accused, Ziaur is the former sports affairs secretary of Maheshkhali Upazila Jubo Dal and is currently a member of Cox’s Bazar District Jubo Dal.
Mizanur Rahman Matabbar is the former vice president of the upazila Chhatra Dal, while Nazmul Hossain previously served as the assistant sports secretary of the upazila Jubo Dal.
Kamal is a member of the Kalamar Chhara Union Jubo Dal.
Denying the allegations brought against him, Ziaur claimed he and the three others were not in Dhaka on the day of the incident.
He also claimed that they were actively participating in the student movement in Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar on that day.
They alleged that a local Awami League leader conspired to frame them in the case.
They also claimed that their family members were harmed for participating in the movement.
He alleged that his cousin, Tanvir, was killed by police during the anti-discrimination movement on 18 July, asserting that local Awami League leaders conspired against them.
Nazmul, another accused, echoed this sentiment, claiming that local Awami League leader Sharif orchestrated the allegations to harass them.
When contacted, plaintiff Ziaul Haque’s phone was found off, but his daughter, Farzana Haque, indicated that police would investigate and take action against the accused.
Investigation officer Harun-ur-Rashid said the investigation is ongoing and refrained from further comment.
