Noman-Raqib murder in Lakshmipur: The main accused has not been arrested even in a year

A year has passed since the murder of Jubo League leader Abdullah Al Noman and Chhatra League leader Rakib Imam of Laxmipur. However, the main accused in the case, Abul Kashem, is still out of the hands of the Jihadi police. Apart from this, another accused Maqbul was seen in the area several times but he was not arrested. Two other accused Sharif and Kalu are also absconding. However, although some people have been arrested in this murder case, they are on bail.

The families of the victims alleged that the accused who are out on bail are staying in the area. They spend their days in fear of being attacked by the accused.

According to the family sources of the deceased, Noman, the former General Secretary of the District Jubo League and Rakib, the former Organizing Secretary of the District Chhatra League, were shot dead on the night of 25 April 2023 in Poddarbazar area of ​​Bashikpur Union of Sadar Upazila. The next night, Noman’s elder brother Mahfuzur Rahman became the plaintiff and filed a murder case against 33 people at Chandraganj police station.

Police Inspector (Investigation) of Sadar Model Police Station Nizam Uddin Bhuiyan, the investigating officer of the case and Chairman of Bashikpur Union Parishad (UP) Mahfuzur Rahman, the plaintiff in the case, said that since the case, a total of 22 people including 11 accused have been arrested by the law enforcement forces. Meanwhile, the third accused in the case, including Dewan Faisal, gave a confessional statement in the court. Faisal was released from prison after receiving bail from the High Court on December 4 last year.

Saiful Islam, brother of the slain BCL leader Rakib Imam, said, ‘Even after a year of the incident, the main accused has not been arrested. We are in extreme insecurity. Locals do not dare to open their mouths for fear of Kashem Jihadi and his forces. Days are spent in fear of when a mother’s chest will be empty again. I demand the arrest of this terrorist quickly.’

Mahfuzur Rahman, chairman of Bashikpur UP and the elder brother of deceased Noman, the plaintiff in the case, said, “The main accused in the case, Kashem Jihadi, has not been arrested. They are still escaping and influencing the area in various ways. The arrested accused are also out on bail and have organized themselves in the area. This has increased panic in the area. Because of them there is a fear of praying in mosques. Having to go to the council and work with fear. All the accused including Kashem Jihadi’s brother Leda, Nishan, Kadu Alamgir are roaming around the area. Apart from this, accused Maqbul is also seen in the area at different times.

Mahfuzur Rahman said, ‘Law and order forces are trying hard enough. But there are some lawyers among the party leaders of Awami League, who work for the accused. As long as the party lawyers are on the side of the accused, it is doubtful whether we will get justice.’

Nizam Uddin Bhuiyan, the investigating officer of the case, said, ‘Since the case, a total of 22 people were arrested, including 11 accused under Ezhar. The arrested accused are on bail. Three of them got bail from the High Court. It was not possible to arrest the four accused including the main accused in the case, Kashem Jihadi. The location of Kashem Jihadi is not known. For some time, he sent voice threats to various people, but now it is not happening. The case is still under investigation. We got a lot of information about the incident. More information will be known.’

Regarding the case, Additional District Superintendent of Police (Administration and Finance) Abu Bakar Siddique said, ‘We have all been working unitedly since the beginning of this case. The investigation is ongoing. There will be no questionable investigation in this case. Our investigating officer is working with sincerity. Law and order is normal in Bashikpur. We have enough police in our camp there. Chandraganj police station and our senior officers are active around Bashikpur.’

On the night of April 25, 2023, Noman, the former General Secretary of the District Jubo League and Rakib, the former Organizing Secretary of the District Chhatra League, were shot dead in Poddarbazar area of ​​Bashikpur Union of Sadar Upazila. The next night, Noman’s elder brother Mahfuzur Rahman filed a murder case against 33 accused in Chandraganj police station. Abul Kashem Jihadi, the former vice-president of Chandraganj Thana Awami League, was named as 18 people and 15 other unknown people were accused. 22 days after this incident, Kashem Jihadi was expelled from the party. Former Chairman of Jihadi Bashikpur Union Parishad.