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Murder of Biswajit Das

Coordinates: 23°48′15″N 90°24′55″E / 23.80417°N 90.41528°E / 23.80417; 90.41528
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Murder of Biswajit Das
Part of Violence of Bangladesh Chhatra League
LocationDhaka, Bangladesh
Coordinates23°48′15″N 90°24′55″E / 23.80417°N 90.41528°E / 23.80417; 90.41528
Date9 December 2012; 12 years ago
c. 09:00 am (UTC+6)
VictimBiswajit Das
LitigationSee trial

On 9 December 2012, Biswajit Das, a tailor from Dhaka, Bangladesh was murdered by members of Bangladesh Chhatra League, 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]

Background

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

Murder

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

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

He first took shelter on the second floor of a nearby building, inside a 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, hockey sticks and struck him forcefully with an iron rod.[6][2]

Severely injured, Biswajit tried to escape into another building, but his attackers pursued him. His clothes were torn and his entire body was drenched in blood. Despite his injuries, he attempted to run again, but the assault did not stop. Eventually, he collapsed onto the ground.[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 Bazar Road. A rickshaw-puller took Das to Mitford Hospital, where he shortly died of his wounds.[3]

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

Aftermath

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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 indicted on 2 June for Das' 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, have not been apprehended.[4][12][13]

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

Trial and sentencing

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Biswajit Murder Case
Serial Name of Accused Court Verdict Appeal Verdict Current Status[15][16]
1 Saiful Islam Death Sentence Acquitted (11/07/2017) Free
2 Kaiyum Mia Death Sentence Acquitted (11/07/2017) Free
3 G M Rasheduzzaman alias Shaon Death Sentence Life Imprisonment Incarcerated
4 Mahfuzur Rahman alias Nahid Death Sentence Life Imprisonment Incarcerated
5 Imdadul Haque alias Emdad Death Sentence Life Imprisonment Incarcerated
6 Rafiqul Islam alias Shakil Death Sentence Death Sentence Incarcerated
7 Rajan Talukder Death Sentence Death Sentence Fugitive
8 Nure Alam Death Sentence Life Imprisonment Fugitive
9 A H M Kibria Life Imprisonment Acquitted (11/07/2017) Free
10 Golam Mostafa Life Imprisonment Acquitted (11/07/2017) Free
11 Khondaker Yunus Ali Life Imprisonment Incarcerated (31/10/2022)
12 Tareq Bin Zohar Tamal Life Imprisonment Incarcerated (25/06/2018)
13 Alauddin Life Imprisonment Incarcerated (15/07/2022)
14 Obaidul Kader Tahsin Life Imprisonment Fugitive
15 Imran Hossain Life Imprisonment Incarcerated (10/08/2021)
16 Azizur Rahman Aziz Life Imprisonment Fugitive
17 Al Amin Sheikh Life Imprisonment Fugitive
18 Rafiqul Islam Life Imprisonment Fugitive
19 Monirul Haque Pavel Life Imprisonment Fugitive
20 Kamrul Hasan Life Imprisonment Fugitive
21 Mosharraf Hossain Life Imprisonment Fugitive

References

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  1. ^ a b "Biswajit Murder: HC verdict on Aug 6". The Daily Star. July 18, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "21 BCL men indicted". The Daily Star. Jun 3, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Eight to die for Biswajit murder, 13 get life". bdnews24.com. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b "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'". Weak autopsy report to save Biswajit killers. Retrieved 2025-03-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b "তিন আসামি রিমান্ডে - প্রথম আলো". 2013-12-18. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
  7. ^ "Biswajit murder: Another fugitive convict held". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
  8. ^ bdnews24.com. "Eight to die for Biswajit murder, 13 get life". Eight to die for Biswajit murder, 13 get life. Retrieved 2025-03-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "JnU expels 4 more". bdnews24.com. 20 December 2012. Archived from the original on 2019-04-10. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
  10. ^ "7th Biswajit killing accused on police remand". bdnews24.com. 25 December 2012. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
  11. ^ "Biswajit Killing Case: HC order rejected". Dhaka Tribune. 4 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2019-04-10. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
  12. ^ "Bangladesh sentences eight students to death for murder". BBC News. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
  13. ^ "8 Awami activists get death for murder of Hindu man". The Hindu. PTI. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
  14. ^ "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012: Bangladesh". U.S. State Department. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
  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 2024-11-15.
  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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