FARDIN’S DEATH
Family unhappy over CID’s progress
After around a year of being tasked with the investigation into the death of Fardin Noor Parash, a third-year Buet student, the Criminal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police has yet to make any headway.
Even in February this year, the CID was still looking for the most basic information regarding the investigation, such as Fardin's full name, alongside details about his university department and hall.
Talking to The Daily Star recently, Fardin's father and plaintiff in the case, Kazi Nooruddin, said, "On February 6 this year, CID Inspector Belayet Hossain messaged me on WhatsApp seeking information about Fardin's full name, department, batch, roll number, hall name, and ID card details of the university."
Baffled by the investigation's progress, Nooruddin said, "If the investigation officer wants to know these basic details now, then what has he been investigating for so long? Will I ever get justice for my son's murder?"
"If the investigation officer wants to know these basic details now, then what has he been investigating for so long? Will I ever get justice for my son's murder?"
Amid the situation, Fardin's family members have expressed their dismay, fearing that this case may join the list of unresolved cases, such as the Sagar-Runi, Taqi, and Tonu murders.
Meanwhile, Belayet has been transferred from the CID, and ASP Sharafat of CID took charge of the investigation two weeks ago.
Contacted, Belayet said, "There was no significant progress in the investigation of the case. If there was any progress, we would have definitely informed journalists."
On November 7, 2022, the decomposed body of Fardin, a student of Civil Engineering department at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, was recovered from Shitalakkhya river in Siddhirganj of Narayanganj, three days after he went missing on November 4.
In February 2023, the Detective Branch (DB) of police submitted a probe report, saying Fardin died by suicide and was not killed by anybody.
DB also exonerated Fardin's friend Amatullah Bushra, prime suspect in the murder case that Fardin's father filed in November 2023, of all charges in the probe report.
Regarding that, Nooruddin told The Daily Star, "I don't understand how DB declared it a suicide. Last year, I expressed my dissatisfaction by filing an application based on the DB's report submitted to the court."
Following the application, on April 16 last year, the case was handed over to the CID for further investigation. However, the investigation now remains at a standstill.
CID has requested an extension of time for submitting the report 11 times so far. The court has approved each request. On February 29, the court set April 3 (today) as the deadline for submitting the report.
On November 8, 2022, a day after Fardin's body was found, Dr Farhad Hossain, a forensic doctor at Narayanganj Victoria Hospital, told journalists, "Several signs of injury have been found on Fardin's chest and head. The victim lost his life due to an internal haemorrhage. It is definitely a murder."
"I filed a murder case based on the doctor's comment. In the first two and a half months, the DB and Rab provided different information about the identities of the killers. Later, the law enforcement agencies claimed 'the victim died by suicide,' which I find incomprehensible," Nooruddin told this newspaper.
Nooruddin alleged, "In an attempt to save the perpetrators of this 'murder,' CCTV footage from the auto-rickshaw stand of the journey route has been concealed. The entire CCTV footage of November 4, 2022, is crucial for the investigation of this case."
"Identities of the 4-5 people who were on the same human haulier with Fardin just before the incident have not been disclosed. If the entire footage from that day is released, identities of those who took Fardin to an unknown location and subsequently murdered him will be revealed," Nooruddin further claimed.
Nooruddin said Fardin opposed student politics at Buet. He was one of the key organisers in archiving the memory of Buet student Abrar Fahad, who was killed by Buet Chhatra League members in October 2019.
On August 15, 2022, when students of Buet started the "Loud and Clear" campaign to protest against the programme of Chhatra League's Buet unit, Fardin was one of the key organisers, he said.
Nooruddin also said Fardin was a seasoned debater and was supposed to participate in the World Universities Debating Championship 2023, held in Madrid, Spain.
As CID, with no progress, is now taking time extensions repeatedly to submit the probe report, Fardin's father expressed concern, fearing, "Will this case meet the same fate as the murder of journalist couple Sagar-Runi?"