Nila Roy murder: Six years on, trial still ongoing

Six years after 10th-grade student Nila Roy was abducted and stabbed to death in Savar, the trial in the murder case is still underway, with only half of the prosecution witnesses having testified so far.

The case is being heard by the court of Dhaka’s Fifth Additional District and Sessions Judge Md Rezwanuzzaman.

Nine of the 18 prosecution witnesses have completed their testimony, while the next hearing has been set for November 25 after no witness appeared at the latest scheduled hearing on May 24, said court bench assistant Shakhawat Hossain Sani.

Nila’s father, Narayan Roy, said he remains frustrated by the prolonged proceedings and the long gaps between hearings. He said he still has not received justice for his only daughter and alleged that the accused have been moving around freely after securing bail.

According to the case statement, Nila and her brother Alok Roy were stopped on their way home from a hospital on the night of September 20, 2020. The accused, Mizanur Rahman, allegedly took Nila to an abandoned house and proposed marriage to her.

After she rejected the proposal, she was stabbed to death, according to the allegation.

Nila’s father filed the murder case with Savar Model Police Station the following day. Police later submitted a charge sheet against Mizanur, Sakib Hossain and Selim Pahlan on April 28, 2021. The court framed charges against the three on August 3, 2022.

Public prosecutor Zahirul Islam said changes and disruptions in the police administration after August 5, 2024, including transfers and departures of investigating and other officials, created difficulties in producing witnesses and advancing the proceedings. The prosecution is trying to expedite the trial, he said.

All three accused were previously on bail. Sakib’s bail was cancelled on May 24 after he failed to appear before the court, which also issued an arrest warrant against him.

Defence lawyer Farida Yasmin Lata, representing Selim, said none of the nine witnesses who have testified so far directly implicated her client. She argued that Selim was named mainly on the basis of Mizanur’s confessional statement and said the defence would continue its legal fight to ensure his right to a fair trial.

Nila’s family said she was known locally as a dancer and had been the focus of many of their hopes. Her parents later left Savar and moved to Uttara following her death.