Journos Manik Saha, Humayun Kabir murder cases
Frequent change of IO, lack of monitoring delay trial
Quazi Amanullah, Khulna
Frequent change of investigating officer (IO) and alleged lack of proper monitoring are delaying trial of journalists Manik Saha and Humayun Kabir Balu murder cases. As a result, 'extended' investigation ordered by courts could not be completed even after 26 months of murder of Manik Saha and 17 months of murder of Humayun Kabir Balu. According to a high officials of Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP), a separate monitoring cell has been created to expedite investigation of the two sensitive murder cases and press charge sheets against the accused within the shortest possible time. But there has not been any progress in the investigation. Manik Saha, Khulna correspondent of The New Age, was killed in a bomb attack on January 15, 2004 in front of Khulna Press Club. Sub Inspector Ranjit Kumar Das of Khulna Sadar police station as complainant lodged an FIR on January 17 without naming any accused. Former OCs of Khulna Sadar police station Ataur Rahman and Mosharef Hossain investigated the case and on June 20 in 2004 submitted charge sheet to court naming 12 outlaws as accused. Three out of 12 chargesheeted accused were killed in crossfire incidents, three are in Khulna district Jail while six others are still at large. On April 18, 2005, Khulna Speedy Trial Tribunal ordered the IO for 'extended' investigation of the case. Inspector of KMP Detective Branch Chittya Ranjan Pal is now the fourth IO of the case. He took up the case on April 5 last year but is yet to submit charge sheet to ST Tribunal. IO Chittya Ranjan Pal told this correspondent that he had applied to CMM court on June 17 to allow him to further interrogate three chargesheeted accused in Khulna Jail. The court is yet to give him permission, he said. Editor of Dainik Janmabhumi Humayun Kabir Balu was killed in a bomb attack allegedly by extremists on June 27, 2004 in front of his residence-cum-office at Haji Ismail Road in Khulna city. SI Maruf as complainant lodged an FIR on the same night naming 10 extremists as accused. The case was investigated by four Inspectors of KMP. Inspector Chittya Ranjan Pal of DB is the fifth IO, who took up the case on last April 5for 'extended investigation'. The tribunal ordered further investigation of this case following an allegation made by Special PP Abu Zafar that the charge sheet pressed by IO Inspector Abdul Hamid of DB on April 25, 2005 naming eight extremists as accused was 'weak' to put the case on trial. The tribunal issued an order on January 22 last year for further investigation of Balu murder case.
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