Thrown in a canal to die

The supervisor of the Hanif Paribahan bus which NSU student Saidur Rahman Payel was travelling by before his 'mysterious' death, confessed yesterday to a mindless act of killing. 

Mohammad Johny, the supervisor, said Payel was thrown into a nearby canal by the bus's driver, helper and himself, after the BBA 5th semester student at North South University was injured while getting back on the bus after relieving himself.

He made the disclosure in a confessional statement under Section 164 to senior judicial magistrate Md Jasim Uddin of Munshiganj Cognizance Court-5 at around 4:00pm yesterday.

Court inspector Hedayetul Islam Bhuiyan and Gazaria Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Harunur Rashid said, according to Johny, a traffic jam formed near Bhaterchar at Gazaria on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in the early hours of Sunday, where the bus that carried Payel got stuck. Payel got off the bus to relieve himself, and before he could board the bus set off as the traffic eased. He ran behind the bus, and the bus stopped, but he injured himself badly as the bus's automatic door opened on him, and fell unconscious.

The supervisor informed the matter to the driver.  Driver Jamal Hossain, helper Faisal and supervisor Johny together decided to not take Payel back to the bus; instead, they carried the bloodied youth and threw him into a canal from over the Bhaterchar bridge. It was about 4:00am and the passengers were sleeping.

The OC said, Payel was alive when he was thrown into the water, which is evident by the fact that he ingested some 10 to 15kg water while drowning. There was water in his abdomen, as mentioned in inquest and post-mortem reports.

Police arrested Johny from Motijheel area in Dhaka on Tuesday night, and took him to Gazaria Police Station. He confessed to committing the crime to police that same night. 

Johny in his confessional statement to the court also said he had asked the driver to take Payel to hospital but he did not agree, and tried to dump him.  Police yesterday arrested the driver Md Jamal Hossain and helper Md Faisal from Arambag in Dhaka. They are being interrogated at Gazaria police station.

The Gazaria OC said a murder case was filed with the police station by Payel's uncle Golam Sorwardi Biplob, at 10:00pm Tuesday against the three. After filing the case, he left for Chittagong with Payel's body.

The arrival of his body to his house at Chittagong's Halishahar caused heart-wrenching scenes. After his namaz-e-janaza at 8:00am, he was laid to rest at Halishahar B Block graveyard.

Family members of Payel have expressed satisfaction at the arrest of the killers.  Biplob, the plaintiff of the case, said “We demand exemplary punishment to the killers so that no other person has to meet the same fate as Payel”.

Payel was coming in a Hanif Paribahan bus from Chittagong to Dhaka Saturday night. His body was recovered from a canal under Bhaterchar bridge under Gazaria upazila on Dhaka-Chittagong highway Monday morning.