Nagorik Committee raises 19 questions over police investigation, lawyers refuse to represent accused

Questions have been raised over the police investigation and statements following the killing of four members of a family in Rangpur, including retired teacher Ganapati Chakraborty.

The Rangpur City Nagorik Committee has raised 19 questions and demanded a judicial inquiry.

Meanwhile, citing the brutality of the killings, the Rangpur Bar Association has decided not to represent the accused arrested in the case.

The Nagorik Committee held a press conference at a community centre at the Jahaj Company area of Rangpur city at around 12:00 pm today, Saturday.

At the press conference, committee member-secretary Palash Kanti Nag raised 19 questions about the police investigation in a written statement.

The statement said the brutal killing of Ganapati Chakraborty and his family members had exposed the fragile law and order situation in Rangpur and across the country.

After two suspects were arrested in the case, questions, doubts and a lack of confidence have emerged among the public over the statements made by police to the media about the killings.

The Nagorik Committee believes there are contradictions between the police account and statements by the victims’ relatives, the circumstances surrounding the incident, and statements by police and forensic officials.

The press conference said it was necessary to examine how plausible it was that four members of a family had been killed simply because they had prevented someone from taking yaba.

The police account that the accused remained at the house for a long time after killing the four people, taking a shower and eating there, has also raised questions.

The Nagorik Committee also wanted to know whether the CCTV footage from the scene and the question of who cut the electricity connection to Ganapati Chakraborty’s house had been properly investigated. It also questioned who had been riding unidentified motorcycles around the house before and after the killings and whether anyone had been monitoring the house.

The organisation also raised questions about the amount of money and gold jewellery that was allegedly looted. It claimed there were discrepancies in the police account regarding the amount of money stolen and the money allegedly found in the possession of the accused. Similarly, it said it was necessary to clarify why the number of yaba tablets had changed.

In addition, the Nagorik Committee sought answers as to whether the members of the murdered family had expressed any fears or made any complaints before the killings, whether any of them had been threatened over the construction of their house, and whether these issues had been properly investigated. In all, the committee raised 19 questions about the four killings at the press conference.

Nagorik Committee leader Palash Kanti Nag said the investigation should not be concluded solely on the basis of the accused’s confessions. CCTV footage, forensic evidence, mobile phone data and eyewitness accounts must all be cross-checked against the police version, he said. The inconsistencies in the police account must be resolved and the truth behind the four killings uncovered through an impartial and credible investigation.

The written statement said that not only this case but every murder committed in the country requires a fair, impartial and proper investigation. The culture of impunity is making criminals increasingly reckless. Ensuring the safety of people and their property is the government’s responsibility. People want the assurance of a natural death.

The press conference called for a judicial inquiry into the murders of Ganapati Chakraborty and the three others, the uncovering of the truth behind the killings, and exemplary punishment for those responsible.

Members of the Nagorik Committee, including freedom fighter Abdus Sattar, Bijoy Prasad Tapu, Bithi Das Nandini, Mahfuz Hossain, Mashiur Rahman, Sabuj Roy and Mehedi Hasan, were present at the press conference.

On Saturday night, the bodies of retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, 65, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50, daughter Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, 25, and their son Ayush Chakraborty, 12, a fifth-grade student, were recovered from their home in Machuapara, Rangpur city. Police said all four had been strangled.

In connection with the incident, Ganapati Chakraborty’s elder brother Gopinath Chakraborty filed a murder case with the Rangpur Metropolitan Kotwali police station. Later, Mugdha Das, son of Kanu Das, and Siddhartha Das, son of Binoy Das, both from the same area, were arrested in the case. Police said the two arrested suspects voluntarily confessed to the killings before a court.

Meanwhile, the Rangpur Bar Association has decided not to represent the accused arrested in the murder case in court for the time being. It has also decided not to provide lawyers to anyone else who may be arrested in connection with the case in the future. However, the association said the decision could be reconsidered if the course of the investigation or the circumstances surrounding the incident change.

The decision was announced at a press conference at the Rangpur Bar Association office at around 10:30 am today. Association president Shahed Kamal Ibn Khatib and general secretary Aftab Uddin spoke at the press conference while, Rangpur City Corporation administrator Mahfuz Un Nabi was also present.

Bar Association general secretary Aftab Uddin said the two suspects arrested in connection with the killing of the four family members had confessed to the murders before a court. Their preliminary involvement in the incident appears evident, he said. Considering the brutality of the killings, the association had decided not to represent the accused in court.

Aftab Uddin said, “We have taken this decision for the time being. Many people believe that lawyers support wrongdoing in exchange for money. That is not at all true. Our decision not to represent the accused in the four-murder case is strong evidence of this. We want the relatives of the deceased Ganapati Chakraborty to receive proper justice.”