Two years after the killing of Toffazzal Hossain at Dhaka University’s Fazlul Haque Muslim Hall, the trial has yet to begin, despite a charge sheet being filed against 28 people in the widely discussed case.
Of the 28 accused, nine are currently out on bail, two are in custody and 17 remain absconding. A court had fixed 23 August for a report on whether the absconding accused had been arrested. However, the report was not submitted on the scheduled date. The court has now set 28 September for the matter.
Toffazzal’s cousin, Asma Akter Tania, has expressed frustration over the delay in starting the trial. She said two years had passed since the incident, yet the family was still waiting for judicial proceedings to begin. She added that the family wanted justice.
The case’s complainant, Mohammad Amanullah, a supervisor at Dhaka University’s Estate Office, said he regularly follows developments in the case on each scheduled hearing date. He said the family and those involved in the case wanted the actual offenders to receive appropriate punishment.
PBI Additional Superintendent of Police Hannanul Islam, who led the investigation, said the agency had submitted a charge sheet against 28 people after completing its investigation. The court accepted the charge sheet and issued arrest warrants against those who remain at large.
According to Hannanul Islam, the charge sheet contains the accused persons’ full names and addresses. He said responsibility for locating and arresting the absconding accused now lies with the relevant police station.
Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruki said that once the case is ready for trial, it will be sent to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court. The court will then frame charges, after which the prosecution will seek to produce witnesses and complete the proceedings as quickly as possible so that the victim’s family can obtain justice.
SI Shah Alam of the prosecution department said that no report had yet been received regarding the arrest of the absconding accused. Once the report is submitted, the court will decide on the next steps.
How the case unfolded
Toffazzal was killed on the night of 18 September 2024 at Fazlul Haque Muslim Hall. He was reportedly suspected of stealing and was beaten at the university residential hall. Videos and photographs of the incident later circulated on social media, triggering widespread criticism and public concern.
The following day, Amanullah filed a murder case at Shahbagh Police Station. After investigating the case, Shahbagh police inspector Mohammad Asaduzzaman submitted a charge sheet to the court on 30 December 2024, naming 21 Dhaka University students.
The university administration subsequently filed a petition objecting to that charge sheet. Following the objection, then Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Saifuzzaman ordered the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to conduct a fresh investigation on 26 February of the following year.
After completing the renewed investigation, PBI submitted a new charge sheet against 28 people, adding seven names to the earlier list. The court accepted the charge sheet on 10 March and issued arrest warrants for those who were absconding.
The accused include Mohammad Jalal Mia, a former deputy science and technology secretary of the Chhatra League unit at Fazlul Haque Hall and a student of the Department of Physics; Ahsan Ullah alias Bipul Sheikh; Al Hossain Sazzad of the Department of Geography; Mohammad Mottakin Sakin Shah of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science; and Suman Mia of the Department of Soil, Water and Environment.
The other accused are Wajibul Alam, Firoz Kabir, Abdus Samad, Sakib Raihan, Yasin Ali, Yamuzzaman alias Yam, Fazle Rabbi, Shahriar Kabir Shovon, Mehedi Hasan Imran, Ratul Hasan, Sultan Mia, Nasir Uddin, Mobasher Billah, Shishir Ahmed, Mohsin Uddin alias Shafi, Abdullahil Kafi, Sheikh Ramzan Ali Rocky, Rashed Kamal Anik, Moniruzzaman Sohag, Abu Raihan, Redwanur Rahman Parvez, Rabbikul Riyad and Ashraf Ali Munshi.
Among them, Redwanur Rahman, Rashed Kamal, Abu Raihan, Moniruzzaman, Ahsan Ullah, Sazzad, Mottakin Sakin, Wajibul and Ramzan Ali are on bail. Jalal Mia and Suman Mia remain in custody, while the other 17 accused are absconding.
The next scheduled date, 28 September, is therefore significant for the progress of the case, as the court is expected to consider the report concerning efforts to locate and arrest the absconding accused. Until that procedural step is completed, the case remains at the pre-trial stage despite the passage of two years since Toffazzal’s death.
