For them, past is not past at all

Nahiyan often springs up from bed at midnight and starts looking for her father Akramul Haque, the slain ward councillor of Teknaf municipality. The 12-year-old scurries to her father's bed and breaks down.

Seeing her younger sister in tears, Tahiyat also begins to cry.

Nine months have passed since Akram was killed in a so-called gunfight with the Rab on May 26 last year, but both the sisters still call his number every day only to find it switched off.

"On the 26th of every month, both the girls pass the day crying. They won't eat anything on this day," said Ayesha Begum, widow of Akram.

"In fact, they call on their father's cell phone at least once a day with the belief that someone will talk to them. But that doesn't happen."

Tahiyat and Nahiyan, student of class-IX and class-VII at Teknaf BGB Public School, won't allow their mother to wash their father's clothes so they can get the smell of his body.

"Sometimes, they go to sleep wearing their father's clothes. Every day, they write or draw something about their father on their diaries,” Ayesha, fighting back tears, told The Daily Star at her house in Teknaf.

In some pages, Nahiyan vented her anger by writing lines like:  “There is no justice in Bangladesh ... I hate my country ... Life is full of pain ...”

They used to have fun with their father as he took them on outing and buy them food, but everything is gone now. After the death of Akram, the family has to meet their daily expenses taking help from relatives.

Nahiyan did not want to talk to this paper as she is still traumatised. She has been talking less since the tragedy struck, according to her mother and uncle Nazrul Islam.

While the family is still reeling from the shock, a group of people often warn them not to open their mouth or share feelings to anyone, especially the media people.

“We're not being able to file a case; no lawyer is ready to fight for us,” said Nazrul, the elder brother of Akram.

“Even if we manage to convince a lawyer, he refuses to take our case just after we came out of his chamber,” he added.

“We are yet to get justice. Moreover, the local political leader who previously stood for us is now asking us to keep our mouth shut.”

However, Nurul Bashar, general secretary of Teknaf Awami League, says otherwise. “We do not have any information that any local political leader is threatening Akram's family member, and we think this is not true.”

He added, “We are not even handling Akram's case as the central leaders are taking care of it.”

On May 27 last year, Akram was killed in a “gunfight” with Rapid Action Battalion amid the nationwide anti-narcotics drive. After his death, Rab claimed that Akram was a top-listed drug dealer.

But family members, relatives and locals who had known him for years vehemently rejected the Rab version. They said Akram, who was the Teknaf Jubo League president for 13 years, was a prominent voice against narcotics trade in the area.

Son of Abdus Sattar, Akram was also ward-3 councillor of Teknaf municipality.

“I still do not know why my husband was killed,” said his wife.

“Initially, two top ministers communicated with us and said they would create an opportunity for a meeting with the prime minister,” she said, adding that they even took the names of family members who will go to meet the prime minister, but the process did not end in nine months.

Moreover, a group of people allegedly tried to collect the audio clips of mobile phone conversations that surfaced after the incident. “Those people first threatened us and then tried to give us money to get those.”

During a press conference at Cox's Bazar Press Club on May 31, 2018, Ayesha alleged that her husband was murdered in cold blood. She also gave journalists four audio clips in support of her claim.

In one of the clips, a female voice is heard continuously screaming over the phone hearing gunshots during the call. Ayesha claimed that the female voice was hers and the gunshots were fired at her husband and that she was trying to talk to her husband on his mobile phone on the fateful night.

Talking to this paper yesterday, Ayesha said Akram had three cell phones but police showed only one in the seizure list. “We do not even know where his two other cell phones are.”

The “people who killed Akram” again filed cases against him, she said.

“We are still passing days in fear.... But until the end of our life, we will demand to know the reason behind Akram's killing.”

After the so-called gunfight, the Rab filed a case with Teknaf Police Station against Akram.

Asked about the investigation, Pradip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge of the police station, told The Daily Star yesterday that they are yet to complete the probe.

“If Akram's family has anything to say about the case, they will definitely get the chance after the end of investigation,” he said, adding they were keeping in touch with the family and visited them often.

However, the family members say no one is communicating with them now regarding the case.