Investigation heading nowhere
Over two and a half years have gone by since Anjali Devi, a senior teacher of Chittagong Nursing College (CNC), was hacked to death in broad daylight in Chittagong city on January 10 in 2015, but police are yet to find any clue.
Police said they did not get any eyewitness of the murder.
Moreover, police claimed the victim's family was not interested to go ahead with this case and was not cooperating with the investigation officer (IO).
On January 10, 2015, Anjali Devi, 57, was hacked indiscriminately by four masked assailants at Telipatti Road of Chawkbazar on her way to college around 8:45am, said police, adding that the attackers had fled the scene without taking away her mobile phone, money and handbag.
The teacher died at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) at around 12:00 noon on that day.
The detective branch (DB) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) was assigned to investigate the case after the victim's husband Dr Rajendra Chowdhury filed a murder case with Panchlaish Police Station.
Students and colleagues of Anjali said the spot of the murder was always abuzz with pedestrians and vehicles. But the miscreants fled the scene immediately after committing the crime, they added.
They expressed their resentment over “failure” of police to unearth the clue.
Meanwhile, police arrested Md Reja, 50, a former law affairs officer of a madrasa in Patiya upazila of Chittagong, on June 13 the same year in connection with the case.
“Reja served a legal notice to Anjali in 2012 terming her an anti-Islamist,” said Inspector Keshab Chowdhury, former investigation officer (IO) of the case, adding, “Reja accused Anjali of speaking against Islam in the classroom but during our investigation, after talking with students and teachers, we did not find any truth of the allegation.”
“Reja's involvement in the murder was not found in our investigation,” said Keshab.
Contacted, Romena Akter, a colleague of Anjali at CNC and president of Chittagong divisional nurses' association, said they formed human chains to arrest the criminals but there is no headway in two and a half years.
“Can you think of a civilised society where a woman is murdered in broad daylight but law enforcers cannot find out any clue in two and a half years?” she asked. “It seems none killed her (Anjali)!” she ventilated her frustration.
Asked, Inspector Habibur Rahman of DB, also the IO of the case, said although they did not find out any clue of this murder, they did not give up.
“Our investigation is going on,” he said.
“We are not getting proper cooperation from the victim's family members,” he claimed, adding, “The victims' husband and two daughters, all doctors, reside outside Chittagong.”
Asked, whether it is the failure of police as they could not find out any clue in all these years, the additional commissioner (crime and operation) of CMP Saleh Mohammad Tanvir said, “It's not a failure of police.”
“In our investigation, we have not found any enemy of the victim who might have been involved in the murder; moreover, we did not get any eyewitness of the murder,” he said.
“The victim's family is not cooperating with us, but…our investigation is going on,” he said. “We are cordial to unearth the clue of the murder…”
Anjali's husband Rajendra could not be contacted as his cell phone was found switched off.
Comments