Emrul Hasan Bappi

Covering Human Rights, Crime & Justice

How did Sajal and Jerin die?

Justice delayed is justice denied. This phrase is a harsh reality for the families of Aminul Islam Sajal and Marium Chowdhury Jerin, two students whose deaths four years ago at a residential hotel in Dhaka’s Farmgate, remain shrouded in mystery.

3w ago

2015 Pahela Baishakh sexual assault: Witnesses’ no-show puts trial in limbo

Trial of the case filed over the 2015 Pahela Baishakh sexual assault incident at Dhaka University (DU) is in a limbo due to non-appearance of witnesses before the court.

Dreams, hopes go up in smoke

They invested the money they had and the money they could borrow in the hope of good business ahead of Eid but within a few hours yesterday, they lost everything.

'I saw the source of my livelihood burning'

Just six months ago, 29-year-old Tarek opened a shop in the capital’s Bangabazar Shopping Complex by taking a loan.

Acquittal from case: Man’s 25-year ordeal comes to an end, finally

For the last 25 years, Oliar Rahman had been shuttling between Madaripur and Dhaka to appear before courts in a case filed over the death of his fellow worker.

Rape, death of 12-yr-old: A poor family’s cries for justice go unheeded

“I will not work at this house anymore. They torture me. I will come back to you.” This was what Iti Akter said to her mother Sarkis Akter in her last phone call in the evening of January 28 last year.

2018 Cop Murder: Rabiul linked in every way

Though Rabiul Islam alias Arav Khan on a recent Facebook live claimed that he was not involved in the 2018 killing of a cop, the police probe report made some shocking revelations regarding his complicity.  

Garment Theft Ring: From ‘mastermind’ to ‘accused no 7’

Md Shahed alias Sayeed was arrested in September 2021 after police found his involvement in the theft of readymade garment products from goods-laden lorries on their way to the Chattogram port for shipment.

Extortion Case: Rab clears 8 students

Rab has cleared eight Mirpur students of any wrongdoing and said the complainant of the extortion case had delivered “incorrect information”.  

Bank exam question leak: Buet Prof Nikhil finally charged

Buet Prof Nikhil Ranjan Dhar was finally charged with involvement in bank recruitment question paper leak even though the investigation officer (IO) had earlier dropped his name from the charge sheet.

Finally free from the clutches of influentials

Dhaka district administration is planning to make the historic Brajo Niketan, located in Dhaka’s Nawabganj, a heritage site, as authorities recently retrieved it from three decades of illegal occupation.

ASI who framed trader possessed yaba

A police probe has found that an assistant sub-inspector, who arrested a trader for possession of yaba in September, illegally possessed 100 yaba pills.

1,223 BNP men arrested in nine days

Police arrested a total of 1,223 BNP leaders and activists from different parts of the capital and produced them before the court in nine days just before the party's December 10 rally.

Case records go missing from court

Records and documents of four narcotics cases have gone missing about 10 months ago from a Dhaka court, raising questions about the security measures at the record room.

Locked up for no reason

Amatullah Bushra, a friend of slain Buet student Fardin Noor Parash, has been in jail for four weeks although the law enforcers found no evidence of her involvement in Fardin’s murder.

Executed before trial even began!

Trial of the narcotics case filed against Lesedi Molapisi, a woman from Botswana, is yet to begin at a Dhaka court. But several African media outlets have reported that Molapisi is set to be executed or has been executed for smuggling 3 kilos of heroin into Bangladesh.

Fraudsters exploit former justice’s good nature

Former justice Bhabani Prasad Singha is well known for his humanitarian work. And due to this very renown, a fraud gang decided to target him six months ago.

Charges pressed against 2 DSCC staffers among 3

Russel Khan -- who was neither a Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) staffer nor a driver by profession -- drove the DSCC garbage truck that rammed into a 12th-grader of Notre Dame College in Dhaka’s Gulistan area a year ago, found a police probe.

Tazreen Tragedy: The never-ending wait

Maya Begum, a survivor of the blaze that engulfed Tazreen factory 10 years ago, is losing all hope for justice, or financial assistance for that matter, as proceedings of the case centring this incident is progressing at a snail’s pace.

Shariatpur youth ‘mauled in DNC’s custody’

As with most evenings, Nur Alom Madbar was hanging out at the Ganganagar Bazar in Shariatpur on August 10, when a group of men grabbed him and took him to a side alley.

Police clear journalist Rozina of charges

Police have cleared Prothom Alo senior journalist Rozina Islam of the charges in an Official Secrets Act case.

Earned Tk 52 lakh legally, bought flat worth Tk 3.09cr

As a government servant, the suspended Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Prisons, Bazlur Rashid, had earned only Tk 52 lakh legally during his service between 1993 and 2018.

Pocketing Tk 21 lakh: Charges pressed against Evaly chairman, CEO

Two top bosses of the e-commerce platform Evaly pocketed Tk 21.62 lakh through digital forgery, a police probe in a Digital Security Act case has found.

Blogger Oyasiqur killing: Complainant ‘unavailable’

Seven years into the murder of secularist blogger Oyasiqur Rahman Babu, the complainant of the case appears uninterested in justice and the police are clueless about his whereabouts.

Human trafficking cases: Only 1.5pc see conviction

Seven years ago, Mohammad Sabuj and his neighbour Mohiuddin Sarkar from Cumilla’s Daudkandi paid around Tk 13 lakh to six people who lured them with well-paying jobs in Germany. 

They confessed, yet not charged

A Dhaka court has found flaws in the charge sheet submitted by the Department of Narcotics Control in a case filed over the recovery of around 39,000 yaba pills from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in 2020.

Digital security act: Sued at 17, JnU student in jail

Sued as an adult when she was actually 17 in 2020, a Jagannath University student has been languishing in jail under the Digital Security Act for almost a month.

Copying govt docs: Ex-EC staffer sued under DSA, Official Secrets Act

A former staffer of the Shariatpur Sadar upazila election office has been sued under the Official Secrets Act for possessing photos of confidential documents, EC server passwords, and audio and video recordings of internal office conversations.

‘Fabricated, fictitious’

Police have cleared Mohammad Khalil from charges of a narcotics case a few days after he was framed in the capital’s cantonment area by an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Pallabi Police Station and two informants.

Narcos hard to put behind bars

Although Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) shows rising drug cases and arrests in its annual round-up every year, more than half of the cases end up in acquittals.

Fake covid certificates: JKG’s Sabrina, 7 others given 11 years in jail

A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced Sabrina Sharmin Hossain, chairperson of JKG Health Care, and seven others to 11 years of rigorous imprisonment in a case filed over issuing fake Covid-19 certificates.

A rare feat of masonry on verge of destruction

Neelam Ghar -- a century-old building in Old Dhaka used by the British and Pakistani rulers to auction off confiscated objects -- has been pushed to the verge of demolition yesterday.

BRTC dancing to the tune of Shariatpur bus owners

Bus owners of Shariatpur have imposed conditions on the movement of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) buses on Dhaka-Shariatpur route via Padma Bridge, drawing flak from locals and netizens.

Destiny-2000 scam: Form a committee to reimburse investors

While sentencing 46 officials of Destiny-2000 to jail for money laundering, a Dhaka court yesterday ordered the government to form a committee to liquidate assets of a co-op of the company and return the money to its investors and shareholders.

Trial drags on for 24 years: Man has no strength left for legal battle

As his name was called out, Ahad Ali stepped inside the courtroom and stood in the dock with both hands pressed together in a gesture of mercy, staring at the judge with pleading eyes.

Casino brothers to serve 7 years

Organised crimes and money laundering are a serious threat to the rule of law and sustainable development of the country, said a Dhaka court in the verdict in a money laundering case.

Rana Plaza Murder Trial: Only 1 out of 594 witnesses testified so far

The trial progress in the murder case filed over the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse has been dismal as only one out of 594 prosecution witnesses has so far testified.

Pahela Baishakh Sexual Assault: Trial in limbo

Trial of the case filed over the Pahela Baishakh sexual assault incident at Dhaka University (DU) did not make any headway even after five years, due to the prosecution’s failure to produce witnesses before court for their statements.

A book and a bloodthirsty terror outfit

Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) supremo Shaikh Abdur Rahman had directed his younger brother and the outfit’s military commander Ataur Rahman Sunny to kill Prof Humayun Azad for writing the book “Pak Sar Jamin Sad Bad”.

Humayun Azad murder case: After 18 years, verdict due today

A Dhaka court is set to deliver verdict over the murder of Prof Humayun Azad after 18 long years as the alleged negligence of investigators and prosecution delayed the trial completion.

Azad to Avijit: Deadly cost of freethinking

Both of them shared some common principles and championed the causes of freethought and secularism. And both met the same fate.

DB Informer Jalal Killing: Trial stuck in legal limbo

The half-decomposed body of Jalal, who drove the car of Detective Branch (DB) of police, was recovered from the overhead water tank of DB’s Minto Road headquarters on March 25, 1999.

Masterminds of Hussaini Dalan blasts: IO’s negligence kept them beyond law

The masterminds behind the 2015 Hussaini Dalan blasts had remained beyond the law due to the investigator’s utter negligence, said a Dhaka court.

‘Rehab had no clearance, licence’

The hospital -- where assistant superintendent of police Anisul Karim Shipon was allegedly tortured to death on November 9, 2020 -- had no government clearance and licence, found a police probe.

Bribery hurts the image of govt officials

Being senior “government officials”, Khandaker Enamul Basir and Mizanur Rahman took and gave bribes, causing serious damage to the image of public servants, a Dhaka court said yesterday while delivering the verdict in a graft case against the duo.

Churihatta fire tragedy: An outcome of greed and negligence

Despite being aware of the threats to life and property, Hazi Wahed Mansion owners still rented out the residential property to set up five warehouses for flammable materials in order to make extra profit.

PK Halder has laundered Tk 80cr to Canada

Proshanta Kumar Halder, the former managing director of NRB Global Bank, had laundered about Tk 80 crore to Canada, found the Anti-Corruption Commission found in its probe.

87,600 hours and counting

Numbers in the quest for justice in Sagar-Runi murder keep getting longer as investigators continue to fail to make any headway in the investigation.

How did Sajal and Jerin die?

Justice delayed is justice denied. This phrase is a harsh reality for the families of Aminul Islam Sajal and Marium Chowdhury Jerin, two students whose deaths four years ago at a residential hotel in Dhaka’s Farmgate, remain shrouded in mystery.

3w ago

2015 Pahela Baishakh sexual assault: Witnesses’ no-show puts trial in limbo

Trial of the case filed over the 2015 Pahela Baishakh sexual assault incident at Dhaka University (DU) is in a limbo due to non-appearance of witnesses before the court.

Dreams, hopes go up in smoke

They invested the money they had and the money they could borrow in the hope of good business ahead of Eid but within a few hours yesterday, they lost everything.

'I saw the source of my livelihood burning'

Just six months ago, 29-year-old Tarek opened a shop in the capital’s Bangabazar Shopping Complex by taking a loan.

Acquittal from case: Man’s 25-year ordeal comes to an end, finally

For the last 25 years, Oliar Rahman had been shuttling between Madaripur and Dhaka to appear before courts in a case filed over the death of his fellow worker.

Rape, death of 12-yr-old: A poor family’s cries for justice go unheeded

“I will not work at this house anymore. They torture me. I will come back to you.” This was what Iti Akter said to her mother Sarkis Akter in her last phone call in the evening of January 28 last year.

2018 Cop Murder: Rabiul linked in every way

Though Rabiul Islam alias Arav Khan on a recent Facebook live claimed that he was not involved in the 2018 killing of a cop, the police probe report made some shocking revelations regarding his complicity.  

Garment Theft Ring: From ‘mastermind’ to ‘accused no 7’

Md Shahed alias Sayeed was arrested in September 2021 after police found his involvement in the theft of readymade garment products from goods-laden lorries on their way to the Chattogram port for shipment.

Extortion Case: Rab clears 8 students

Rab has cleared eight Mirpur students of any wrongdoing and said the complainant of the extortion case had delivered “incorrect information”.  

Bank exam question leak: Buet Prof Nikhil finally charged

Buet Prof Nikhil Ranjan Dhar was finally charged with involvement in bank recruitment question paper leak even though the investigation officer (IO) had earlier dropped his name from the charge sheet.

Finally free from the clutches of influentials

Dhaka district administration is planning to make the historic Brajo Niketan, located in Dhaka’s Nawabganj, a heritage site, as authorities recently retrieved it from three decades of illegal occupation.

ASI who framed trader possessed yaba

A police probe has found that an assistant sub-inspector, who arrested a trader for possession of yaba in September, illegally possessed 100 yaba pills.

1,223 BNP men arrested in nine days

Police arrested a total of 1,223 BNP leaders and activists from different parts of the capital and produced them before the court in nine days just before the party's December 10 rally.

Case records go missing from court

Records and documents of four narcotics cases have gone missing about 10 months ago from a Dhaka court, raising questions about the security measures at the record room.

Locked up for no reason

Amatullah Bushra, a friend of slain Buet student Fardin Noor Parash, has been in jail for four weeks although the law enforcers found no evidence of her involvement in Fardin’s murder.

Executed before trial even began!

Trial of the narcotics case filed against Lesedi Molapisi, a woman from Botswana, is yet to begin at a Dhaka court. But several African media outlets have reported that Molapisi is set to be executed or has been executed for smuggling 3 kilos of heroin into Bangladesh.

Fraudsters exploit former justice’s good nature

Former justice Bhabani Prasad Singha is well known for his humanitarian work. And due to this very renown, a fraud gang decided to target him six months ago.

Charges pressed against 2 DSCC staffers among 3

Russel Khan -- who was neither a Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) staffer nor a driver by profession -- drove the DSCC garbage truck that rammed into a 12th-grader of Notre Dame College in Dhaka’s Gulistan area a year ago, found a police probe.

Tazreen Tragedy: The never-ending wait

Maya Begum, a survivor of the blaze that engulfed Tazreen factory 10 years ago, is losing all hope for justice, or financial assistance for that matter, as proceedings of the case centring this incident is progressing at a snail’s pace.

Shariatpur youth ‘mauled in DNC’s custody’

As with most evenings, Nur Alom Madbar was hanging out at the Ganganagar Bazar in Shariatpur on August 10, when a group of men grabbed him and took him to a side alley.

Police clear journalist Rozina of charges

Police have cleared Prothom Alo senior journalist Rozina Islam of the charges in an Official Secrets Act case.

Earned Tk 52 lakh legally, bought flat worth Tk 3.09cr

As a government servant, the suspended Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Prisons, Bazlur Rashid, had earned only Tk 52 lakh legally during his service between 1993 and 2018.

Pocketing Tk 21 lakh: Charges pressed against Evaly chairman, CEO

Two top bosses of the e-commerce platform Evaly pocketed Tk 21.62 lakh through digital forgery, a police probe in a Digital Security Act case has found.

Blogger Oyasiqur killing: Complainant ‘unavailable’

Seven years into the murder of secularist blogger Oyasiqur Rahman Babu, the complainant of the case appears uninterested in justice and the police are clueless about his whereabouts.

Human trafficking cases: Only 1.5pc see conviction

Seven years ago, Mohammad Sabuj and his neighbour Mohiuddin Sarkar from Cumilla’s Daudkandi paid around Tk 13 lakh to six people who lured them with well-paying jobs in Germany. 

They confessed, yet not charged

A Dhaka court has found flaws in the charge sheet submitted by the Department of Narcotics Control in a case filed over the recovery of around 39,000 yaba pills from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in 2020.

Digital security act: Sued at 17, JnU student in jail

Sued as an adult when she was actually 17 in 2020, a Jagannath University student has been languishing in jail under the Digital Security Act for almost a month.

Copying govt docs: Ex-EC staffer sued under DSA, Official Secrets Act

A former staffer of the Shariatpur Sadar upazila election office has been sued under the Official Secrets Act for possessing photos of confidential documents, EC server passwords, and audio and video recordings of internal office conversations.

‘Fabricated, fictitious’

Police have cleared Mohammad Khalil from charges of a narcotics case a few days after he was framed in the capital’s cantonment area by an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Pallabi Police Station and two informants.

Narcos hard to put behind bars

Although Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) shows rising drug cases and arrests in its annual round-up every year, more than half of the cases end up in acquittals.

Fake covid certificates: JKG’s Sabrina, 7 others given 11 years in jail

A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced Sabrina Sharmin Hossain, chairperson of JKG Health Care, and seven others to 11 years of rigorous imprisonment in a case filed over issuing fake Covid-19 certificates.

A rare feat of masonry on verge of destruction

Neelam Ghar -- a century-old building in Old Dhaka used by the British and Pakistani rulers to auction off confiscated objects -- has been pushed to the verge of demolition yesterday.

BRTC dancing to the tune of Shariatpur bus owners

Bus owners of Shariatpur have imposed conditions on the movement of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) buses on Dhaka-Shariatpur route via Padma Bridge, drawing flak from locals and netizens.

Destiny-2000 scam: Form a committee to reimburse investors

While sentencing 46 officials of Destiny-2000 to jail for money laundering, a Dhaka court yesterday ordered the government to form a committee to liquidate assets of a co-op of the company and return the money to its investors and shareholders.

Trial drags on for 24 years: Man has no strength left for legal battle

As his name was called out, Ahad Ali stepped inside the courtroom and stood in the dock with both hands pressed together in a gesture of mercy, staring at the judge with pleading eyes.

Casino brothers to serve 7 years

Organised crimes and money laundering are a serious threat to the rule of law and sustainable development of the country, said a Dhaka court in the verdict in a money laundering case.

Rana Plaza Murder Trial: Only 1 out of 594 witnesses testified so far

The trial progress in the murder case filed over the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse has been dismal as only one out of 594 prosecution witnesses has so far testified.

Pahela Baishakh Sexual Assault: Trial in limbo

Trial of the case filed over the Pahela Baishakh sexual assault incident at Dhaka University (DU) did not make any headway even after five years, due to the prosecution’s failure to produce witnesses before court for their statements.

A book and a bloodthirsty terror outfit

Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) supremo Shaikh Abdur Rahman had directed his younger brother and the outfit’s military commander Ataur Rahman Sunny to kill Prof Humayun Azad for writing the book “Pak Sar Jamin Sad Bad”.

Humayun Azad murder case: After 18 years, verdict due today

A Dhaka court is set to deliver verdict over the murder of Prof Humayun Azad after 18 long years as the alleged negligence of investigators and prosecution delayed the trial completion.

Azad to Avijit: Deadly cost of freethinking

Both of them shared some common principles and championed the causes of freethought and secularism. And both met the same fate.

DB Informer Jalal Killing: Trial stuck in legal limbo

The half-decomposed body of Jalal, who drove the car of Detective Branch (DB) of police, was recovered from the overhead water tank of DB’s Minto Road headquarters on March 25, 1999.

Masterminds of Hussaini Dalan blasts: IO’s negligence kept them beyond law

The masterminds behind the 2015 Hussaini Dalan blasts had remained beyond the law due to the investigator’s utter negligence, said a Dhaka court.

‘Rehab had no clearance, licence’

The hospital -- where assistant superintendent of police Anisul Karim Shipon was allegedly tortured to death on November 9, 2020 -- had no government clearance and licence, found a police probe.

Bribery hurts the image of govt officials

Being senior “government officials”, Khandaker Enamul Basir and Mizanur Rahman took and gave bribes, causing serious damage to the image of public servants, a Dhaka court said yesterday while delivering the verdict in a graft case against the duo.

Churihatta fire tragedy: An outcome of greed and negligence

Despite being aware of the threats to life and property, Hazi Wahed Mansion owners still rented out the residential property to set up five warehouses for flammable materials in order to make extra profit.

PK Halder has laundered Tk 80cr to Canada

Proshanta Kumar Halder, the former managing director of NRB Global Bank, had laundered about Tk 80 crore to Canada, found the Anti-Corruption Commission found in its probe.

87,600 hours and counting

Numbers in the quest for justice in Sagar-Runi murder keep getting longer as investigators continue to fail to make any headway in the investigation.

January 4, 2023
January 4, 2023

Finally free from the clutches of influentials

Dhaka district administration is planning to make the historic Brajo Niketan, located in Dhaka’s Nawabganj, a heritage site, as authorities recently retrieved it from three decades of illegal occupation.

December 28, 2022
December 28, 2022

ASI who framed trader possessed yaba

A police probe has found that an assistant sub-inspector, who arrested a trader for possession of yaba in September, illegally possessed 100 yaba pills.

December 12, 2022
December 12, 2022

1,223 BNP men arrested in nine days

Police arrested a total of 1,223 BNP leaders and activists from different parts of the capital and produced them before the court in nine days just before the party's December 10 rally.

December 12, 2022
December 12, 2022

Case records go missing from court

Records and documents of four narcotics cases have gone missing about 10 months ago from a Dhaka court, raising questions about the security measures at the record room.

December 4, 2022
December 4, 2022

Locked up for no reason

Amatullah Bushra, a friend of slain Buet student Fardin Noor Parash, has been in jail for four weeks although the law enforcers found no evidence of her involvement in Fardin’s murder.

December 2, 2022
December 2, 2022

Executed before trial even began!

Trial of the narcotics case filed against Lesedi Molapisi, a woman from Botswana, is yet to begin at a Dhaka court. But several African media outlets have reported that Molapisi is set to be executed or has been executed for smuggling 3 kilos of heroin into Bangladesh.

December 1, 2022
December 1, 2022

Fraudsters exploit former justice’s good nature

Former justice Bhabani Prasad Singha is well known for his humanitarian work. And due to this very renown, a fraud gang decided to target him six months ago.

November 26, 2022
November 26, 2022

Charges pressed against 2 DSCC staffers among 3

Russel Khan -- who was neither a Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) staffer nor a driver by profession -- drove the DSCC garbage truck that rammed into a 12th-grader of Notre Dame College in Dhaka’s Gulistan area a year ago, found a police probe.

November 24, 2022
November 24, 2022

Tazreen Tragedy: The never-ending wait

Maya Begum, a survivor of the blaze that engulfed Tazreen factory 10 years ago, is losing all hope for justice, or financial assistance for that matter, as proceedings of the case centring this incident is progressing at a snail’s pace.

November 20, 2022
November 20, 2022

Shariatpur youth ‘mauled in DNC’s custody’

As with most evenings, Nur Alom Madbar was hanging out at the Ganganagar Bazar in Shariatpur on August 10, when a group of men grabbed him and took him to a side alley.