Rangpur spl PP 'missing'

A special public prosecutor of Rangpur has been missing since Friday morning.  

Advocate Rathish Chandra Bhowmik, 55, represented the state in cases over the murder of Japanese national Hoshi Kunio and Rahmat Ali, khadem (caretaker) of a shrine.

Rathish went missing just 12 days after a Rangpur court awarded capital punishment to seven members of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) for the of killing of Rahmat in Kaunia upazila of the district in 2015.

Dipa Bhowmik, wife of the lawyer, said her husband usually leaves home for work around 8:30am.

Around 6:00am on Friday, a man wearing punjabi-pajama visited him at their residence in Alamnagar Babu Para area.  

Rathish hurriedly finished his work and left home riding the unidentified man's motorcycle, saying he would return home by noon.

Around 7:00am, his wife phoned him but his mobile phone was found switched off. She again rang him around 3:00pm and this time too found it off.

Shusanta Bhowmik, brother of Rathish, informed the matter to police on Friday night and filed a general diary with Rangpur Sadar Police Station yesterday. 

The family, members of Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Oikya Parishad, and Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad jointly organised a press conference at Rangpur Press Club yesterday, demanding that law enforcers find out the missing lawyer. 

They said the lawyer had received death threats at different times in the past.

Bonomali Pal, president of Rangpur unit of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, said militant groups might be behind his going missing.

In this regard, Rathish had filed a general diary with Rangpur Sadar Police Station soon after the verdict in the Japanese national murder case on February 28 last year, he added.

Police then provided the PP with security for four days.

He again received death threats after the verdict for Rahmat's killing on March 18 this year. This time he verbally informed it to police, but police did not take it seriously, Bonomali told the press.

Babul Hossain, officer-in-charge of Rangpur Sadar Police Station, said he was not aware of the death threats issued to the public prosecutor.

Police are looking into the incident, he added. 

Yesterday, demonstrations were staged in Rangpur demanding rescue of the public prosecutor.residence in Alamnagar Babu Para area.   

Rathish hurriedly finished his work and left home riding the unidentified man's motorcycle, saying he would return home by noon.

Around 7:00am, his wife phoned him but his mobile phone was found switched off. She again rang him around 3:00pm and this time too found it off. 

Shusanta Bhowmik, brother of Rathish, informed the matter to police on Friday night and filed a general diary with Rangpur Sadar Police Station yesterday.  

The family, members of Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Oikya Parishad, and Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad jointly organised a press conference at Rangpur Press Club yesterday, demanding that law enforcers find out the missing lawyer.  

They said the lawyer had received death threats at different times in the past. 

Bonomali Pal, president of Rangpur unit of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, said militant groups might be behind his going missing. 

In this regard, Rathish had filed a general diary with Rangpur Sadar Police Station soon after the verdict in the Japanese national murder case on February 28 last year, he added. 

Police then provided the PP with security for four days.

He again received death threats after the verdict for Rahmat's killing on March 18 this year. This time he verbally informed it to police, but police did not take it seriously, Bonomali told the press.

Babul Hossain, officer-in-charge of Rangpur Sadar Police Station, said he was not aware of the death threats issued to the public prosecutor. 

Police are looking into the incident, he added.  

Yesterday, demonstrations were staged in Rangpur demanding rescue of the public prosecutor.