Police find no killers in 37 murders

Police have closed investigations into 37 murder cases linked to the 2024 July uprising without identifying those responsible, raising fresh questions over accountability for killings during the movement that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led fascist government.

According to sources in the Police Headquarters’ Mentor Committee, which monitors investigations into cases filed over the uprising, investigating officers submitted Final Reports True (FRTs) in the 37 cases after failing to establish the liability of any of the accused.

The development comes despite stark casualty figures. The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs’ gazette recognises 834 people as martyrs of the July uprising, while a UN fact-finding mission estimated that around 1,400 people were killed.

Committee data show that 799 murder cases have been filed nationwide in connection with the uprising.

Sources said investigations have so far been completed in 100 murder cases. 

Charge sheets have been submitted in 63 cases against 5,793 people, including deposed despot Sheikh Hasina, while FRTs have been filed in the remaining 37 cases.

Under Section 275 of the Police Regulations of Bengal (PRB), 1943 and Section 169 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1898, an investigating officer may submit a final report if the evidence does not support prosecution. 

An FRT is filed when police conclude that the alleged incident occurred but the accused are not legally responsible for the offence.

Under Section 276 of the PRB, a magistrate may accept the police findings, order further investigation under Section 156(3) of the CrPC, or take cognisance of the offence under Section 190(b).

Legal and political analysts have expressed deep concern over the pattern of litigation, noting that several murder cases have been weaponised to harass prominent business figures and investors. 

These experts argue that the inclusion of numerous noted entrepreneurs in these FIRs without substantive evidence serves only to undermine investor confidence and destabilise the national economy, rather than securing justice for the victims.

Human rights lawyer Advocate Manzil Murshid said many of the cases were poorly prepared from the outset.

“The cases over the July Mass Uprising were not filed properly. Leaders and activists of opposition parties, including the Awami League, and others were deliberately implicated without proper witnesses,” he told the Daily Sun.

“As a result, police submitted FRTs in the 37 murder cases because they did not find evidence against the accused.”

Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Istiak Ahmed said FRTs could stem from different circumstances.

“Sometimes investigating officers submit FRTs without proper investigation, sometimes after reaching a compromise with the accused, while in many cases they do so in accordance with the law,” he said.

He added that the cases could still be revived if plaintiffs, complainants or prosecutors pursued further legal action.

Crime analyst Dr Tawohidul Haque said the investigations should have been more thorough.

“The murders did occur, so someone committed them. If the real perpetrators are not identified, the accused will be acquitted while the victims’ families will continue to suffer,” he said.

Police spokesperson and Assistant Inspector General AHM Shahadat Hossain said the findings reflected the nature of many of the cases.

“In several incidents, multiple murder cases were filed over a single killing, and many of the accused were found not to have been involved. That is why FRTs were submitted,” he told the Daily Sun.

According to Mentor Committee data, 1,862 cases have been filed across the country over the July uprising against 154,331 named and 456,389 unidentified accused.

Of these, 799 are murder cases, while the remaining 1,063 involve attempted murder and other offences.

The murder cases name 65,210 accused, with between 251,851 and 262,061 unidentified suspects. The remaining 1,063 cases involve 89,121 named accused and between 177,468 and 193,758 unidentified suspects.

Investigations have been completed in 154 non-murder cases. Police have submitted charge sheets in 136 cases against 10,202 people, while 18 cases ended with FRTs.

Sources in the Mentor Committee also said 5,218 accused had been dropped from 839 murder and other cases during investigations. Some were removed before charge sheets were filed, while others were excluded through interim investigation reports.

Under CrPC-173(A), investigating officers may remove a person named in a first information report (FIR) if subsequent investigations find no evidence of their involvement.