A Rajshahi court on Sunday acquitted all 105 accused linked to Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, in connection with the murder of Rajshahi University Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activist Faruque Hossain.
Judge Julfiker Ullah of Rajshahi Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court-1 delivered the order.
State counsel Ali Ashraf Masum said the court acquitted all the accused as the prosecution failed to prove the allegations brought against them.
Among the 114 accused, nine died during the trial proceedings, while the remaining ones were cleared of all charges.
Only 25 of the 105 surviving accused were present in the dock during the verdict.
On the night of February 8, 2010, a clash broke out between Chhatra League and Islami Chhatra Shibir members in Shah Makhdum Hall area of Rajshahi University. In the violence, mathematics student and Chhatra League activist Faruque Hossain was killed. His body was found the next day in a manhole on the university campus.
Following the incident, Mazedul Islam Apu, the then general secretary of RU Chhatra League, filed a murder case with Motihar police station. The case named 35 leaders and activists of Jamaat-Shibir as accused, with another 20–25 unidentified individuals also listed.
After nearly two and a half years, on July 28, 2012, police submitted a 1,269-page charge sheet to the court. It included 114 accused, including Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh’s then central ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid, nayeb ameer Delwar Hossain Saidi, former Rajshahi city ameer Ataur Rahman, RU Shibir president Shamsul Alam Golap, secretary Mobarak Hossain, Nawab Abdul Latif Hall president Hasmat Ali, and Shaheed Habibur Rahman Hall president Raizul Islam.
Reacting to the verdict, prosecution lawyer Ali Ashraf Masum said: “It is too early to say whether we are happy or unhappy with the verdict. First, we need to receive a copy of the judgment and review it in detail before commenting. However, at the time of filing the case, the real perpetrators were hidden, and others were made accused for political reasons.”
