The parents of deceased university student Nafiul Karim Sohan (23), who died suddenly at his home in Faridpur upazila, Pabna, are demanding justice, alleging their son was murdered by relatives and that police are failing to arrest the accused.
Nafiul, a student of the Pharmacy Department at Gano University, went home on June 5 and was found dead on the morning of June 9 after falling asleep the previous night.
Nafiul’s mother, Nasima Akhter (a primary school teacher), and father, Rezaul Karim, claimed at a press conference on Sunday that Nafiul was strangled to death by his uncle, Ibrahim Hossain, Nazrul Islam, and cousins sometime on the night of June 8.
The parents allege the murder stemmed from a long-standing land dispute and a physical fight over cutting soil on April 24, during which the accused publicly threatened to kill Nafiul.
The parents further allege that after Nafiul was declared dead at a local hospital, the accused forcefully took the body home, hurriedly buried it after bathing it themselves without the family's permission, and prevented the mother from taking the body to Dhaka for a proper medical examination.
The family initially faced refusal at the police station and was advised to file a case in court.Nafiul’s mother filed a murder case against Ibrahim Hossain, Nazrul Islam, and six others in the Pabna Senior Judicial Magistrate's Court on August 4, almost two months after the death. The parents are now suffering from extreme insecurity, claiming the accused are roaming freely, harassing them, and issuing death threats, while the police have not made any arrests despite the court case.
Faridpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shakyul Azam confirmed that the police only filed the case on December 5 following a court order instructing an investigation.
The OC stated that at the time of death, the family treated it as a natural death and filed no complaint. He clarified that arrests would be made if evidence is found after the investigation and necessary autopsy (exhumation) are conducted.
Ibrahim Hossain, a main accused, denied the allegations, stating they are false. He claimed local people were present when the boy was taken to the doctor and subsequently buried, and that the family themselves took the action.
