'Dead' man coming alive is the new face of July case fiasco
The extent to which the right to file cases has been exploited in the wake of the July uprising boggles the mind. It was only the other day that we commented on the questionable manner in which a 69-year-old former professor accused in an attempted murder case was treated. The case—filed by a former Jagannath University Chhatra Dal leader who was injured in a clash at the height of the uprising—had several hallmarks of a dubious case, including its lodging after about seven months since the alleged crime and mass listing of accused individuals (193 in total). Yet she was singled out, arrested, denied bail, and sent to jail. As we try to process the role likely played by police and magistrate courts in enabling such cases, we are again reminded of their absurdities by yet another case reported by this daily.
The victim this time, strange as it may seem, is a "dead" man coming alive. According to our report, Md Selim, a grocer from Mymensingh's Phulbaria, was falsely declared dead in a murder case filed over the July uprising. Lodged by his elder brother, with two other brothers serving as witnesses, the case claims that Selim was shot dead by police in Dhaka's Jatrabari on August 3 and later buried in Gopibagh. It also falsely implicates 41 people, including the ousted PM Sheikh Hasina.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Selim is now fighting a surreal legal battle just to prove he exists, scurrying from office to office, facing severe harassment, and fearing for his life as a potential murder would fit the narrative of his "death." The motive behind this case, as recent police investigations have uncovered, is a family dispute over inherited land. With Selim having no sons, his three brothers allegedly sought to seize his share by exploiting the chaos of the uprising to eliminate him, at least on paper.
Selim is now fighting a surreal legal battle just to prove he exists, scurrying from office to office, facing severe harassment, and fearing for his life as a potential murder would fit the narrative of his "death." The motive behind this case, as recent police investigations have uncovered, is a family dispute over inherited land. With Selim having no sons, his three brothers allegedly sought to seize his share by exploiting the chaos of the uprising to eliminate him, at least on paper.
That the legal system could be weaponised so easily for personal gain, and that such a bizarre case could progress as far as it did, speaks volumes about the merit of many of the cases filed over July atrocities. The incident also raises alarm about the integrity of those responsible for vetting or handling such cases. If an alive man can be shown as dead, and a 69-year-old widow arbitrarily jailed, how many other opportunistic or retaliatory cases have slipped through the cracks? We call on the authorities to urgently review all such politically or personally motivated cases, and hold to account those filing or enabling them. No one must be allowed to exploit the legal system or the July uprising.
Comments