SC asks AC Akram to surrender

The Supreme Court today ordered former assistant police commissioner Akram Hussain to trial court in seven days in the sensational BBA student Shamim Reza Rubel murder case.

Rubel, 24, a student of the Independent University, was picked up by a team of Detective Branch (DB) of police led by AC Akram in front of his Siddheswari residence on July 23, 1998.

Rubel was tortured to death in the DB custody the same day.

The following day, Rubel’s father Abdur Rob Miah filed a murder case with Ramna Police Station against 14 accused, including, the then Assistant Commissioner (AC) Akram Hussain and Roksana Begum alias Mukuli Begum, a neighbour of Rubel.

In June 2002, a Dhaka court sentenced 13 accused including Akram to life imprisonment and Mukuli Begum to one year in prison in the case.

Following separate appeals filed by the accused, the HC on May 5, 2011 acquitted Akram and 11 others including Mukuli Begum of the murder charge, saying that the allegations brought against them were not proved beyond reasonable doubt.

The HC upheld the life imprisonment of then police officer Hayatul Islam Thakur in the case, Additional Attorney General Momtaz Uddin Fakir told The Daily Star. 

The Appellate Division today also allowed the government to move a regular appeal before it challenging the HC verdict that acquitted Akram in the case.

A four-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha came up with the order after hearing a leave-to-appeal petition filed by the government against the HC order on Akram.

Additional AG Momtaz said Akram will have to surrender to the lower court in seven days on receiving the SC order.

The lower court can grant him bail after his surrender before that court in this case, he said.

He said the SC today granted the leave to appeal petition of the government on the ground that the HC did not properly assess the evidence produced against Akram.

Momtaz Uddin could not say details about other accused of the case.

Akram Hussain has reportedly suffered in the jail for about 13 years in this case.

He was released on bail for three months in 2002, but he was sent to jail then as the Appellate Division cancelled his bail.

Other accused of the case are now on bail.    

The Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Dhaka, on June 17, 2002, sentenced 13 accused including Akram to life term rigorous imprisonment and Mukuli Begum to one year in prison in the case.

Other accused are the then inspector Aminul Islam Khan, sub-inspectors (SI) Haiyatul Islam Thakur, Nurul Alam and Amir Ahmed Tareq; assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Abdul Karim, Havildar Nuruzzaman, constables Ratul Parvez, Quamrul Hasan, Mir Faruk Hossain, Mong She Oen, Abul Kalam Azad and Mohammad Zakir Hossain.

Three of the convicts -- the then SI Nurul Alam and constables Abul Kalam Azad and Mohammad Zakir Hossain -- are absconding.