Kajal was the son of the late Joban Ali and a resident of Kakiajor village in Dharmapasha upazila of Sunamganj district. After retiring from the Bangladesh Army around two years ago, he had been working as an accountant at a solar power project in his locality.
According to his family, Kajal left home on the morning of 7 October to withdraw money from a bank on behalf of the solar power project. He did not return home, and his whereabouts remained unknown until his body was discovered two days later.
Local residents said a man was grazing cattle near the banks of the Kangsha River at around 8am on Friday when he noticed a foul smell coming from a nearby area. Following the smell, he searched the surrounding vegetation and discovered Kajal’s body positioned against a tree high above the ground. He subsequently informed other residents, who alerted the police.
Officers from Mohanganj Police Station arrived at the scene and recovered the body at around 9.30am. The discovery has raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Kajal’s disappearance and death.
Kajal’s family believes he was murdered. His elder brother, Fazlul Karim Bulbul, rejected the possibility of suicide and called for a thorough investigation into the incident.
“After leaving home on the morning of 7 October to withdraw money from the bank, Kajal never returned. We do not know whether the money was actually withdrawn from the bank. This could not have been a suicide. The body was positioned on a tree branch; it was not hanging,” Bulbul said.
He demanded a fair investigation and justice for his brother, urging the authorities to establish what happened between Kajal’s departure from home and the recovery of his body.
Mohanganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Hafizur Islam Harun said no visible external injury marks had been found on the body during the initial examination. The deceased’s clothing also appeared to be in a normal condition, he added.
The OC said the body was being sent to the morgue at Netrokona Modern Sadar Hospital for a post-mortem examination to establish the cause of death.
The post-mortem report is expected to help investigators determine whether Kajal died by suicide or was killed. Police have not confirmed either possibility, and the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.
The fact that Kajal disappeared after leaving home to withdraw money, followed by the discovery of his body in a riverside jungle with a rope around his neck, has raised concerns among his relatives. However, his family’s allegations have yet to be established, and the absence of visible injuries alone cannot determine the cause of death.
The findings of the post-mortem examination, alongside evidence gathered during the police investigation, will be crucial in establishing the circumstances of the retired army member’s death.
