DU Tofazzal murder case: Arrest warrants issued for 22

A court has accepted the supplementary chargesheet submitted by police against 28 individuals in the case of beating Tofazzal, a mentally unstable man, to death on suspicion of being a thief at Dhaka University's Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall. Additionally, arrest warrants have been issued against 22 accused who remain at large.

The chargesheet was accepted by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana's court on Tuesday afternoon, March 10.

Prosecution Branch SI Jinnat Ali confirmed the matter. The court has ordered the case to be transferred elsewhere for trial.

The chargesheet names 28 individuals. They are – Md Jalal Mia, 26, of the Physics Department; Sumon Mia, 21, of the Department of Soil, Water and Environment; Md Mottakin Sakin Shah, 24, of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science; Al Hossain Sazzad, 23, of the Geography Department; Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall residential students Md Ahsan Ullah alias Bipul Sheikh, 24; Wajibul Alam, 22; Md Firoz Kabir, 23 – among a total of 28 accused.

Among the accused, two – Ahsan Ullah alias Bipul Sheikh and Wajibul Alam – are out on bail. Jalal Mia, Al Hossain Sazzad, Md Mottakin Sakin Shah and Sumon Mia have been arrested and are in jail.

Case Investigation Officer and PBI Additional Superintendent of Police Md Hannanul Islam said detailed accounts of the incident have been included in the chargesheet. On September 18, 2024, around 7:45 pm, the victim Tofazzal entered the hall through the main gate. Within three minutes, he reached the hall grounds. Just 57 seconds after sitting near the game management stage, some students began beating him suspecting him to be a thief.

The victim was taken towards the main building and beaten for about 25 minutes even during interrogation. At one point, students realised he had no connection with the mobile phone thief. However, they still took him to the canteen and fed him, and later took him to the guest room of South Building and beat him with stumps, hockey sticks and sticks. When he was rescued and taken to hospital at 10:52 pm, doctors declared him dead.

Following Tofazzal's murder, a case was filed at Shahbagh Police Station on September 19, 2024, by Mohammad Amanullah, Supervisor of the university's Estate Office. On September 25, the victim's cousin Mosammat Asma Akhtar filed a petition in court against 15 individuals including Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall Provost Professor Shah Muhammad Masum.

Initially, 21 people were accused in the primary investigation. Later, when eight people gave confessional statements, they were granted exemption. However, a chargesheet was submitted to court naming 28 individuals as final accused.

Case Investigation Officer Hannanul Islam said investigations against the eight exempted individuals have been completed as per court order. A supplementary chargesheet was submitted to court against a total of 28 individuals, including the 21 named in the previous investigation officer's probe until December 17. No one beyond these 28 has been found as an accused in this incident.