'My son was trained in swimming; he could not have drowned': Tahsif's father

Former Bangladesh Air Force officer KM Tahsif Souri  was a trained swimmer. His father, AKM Eneyetul Karim, therefore believes that the young man could not have died by drowning.

Speaking to Prothom Alo today, Saturday, he said, “Why would he run away from someone chasing him? And who would chase him in the first place? That makes no sense. Nor would he have run away even if someone had chased him.”

Tahsif, a former flight lieutenant in the Bangladesh Air Force, left home last Tuesday after a friend called him but never returned. The following day, his body was recovered from the Turag River in Rajbari Ghat, an area in Dhaka’s Uttarkhan.

After 1:00am on Friday night, Tahsif’s father, K M Eneyetul Karim, filed a murder case with Uttarkhan police station against unidentified persons. The complaint alleges that Tahsif was murdered and his body dumped in the river to conceal the crime.

Before Tahsif went missing, CCTV footage showed him with another man. Family members identified the man as Ahmed Shahriar Reza Dwip, whom they described as a ‘younger friend’ of Tahsif.

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) initially took Dwip into custody on Thursday. Today, the River Police formally arrested him. After a hearing, a Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court granted police four days of remand for questioning.

Police said Dwip and Tahsif were together on the day of the incident. Based on information provided by Dwip, police recovered a motorcycle from the Mazar Basti area of Tongi. They suspect it belonged to Tahsif.

Tahsif’s father, Eneyetul Karim, told Prothom Alo, “We want to know the cause of his death. We hope a proper investigation will establish what happened and ensure justice.”

Eneyetul Karim said he could not accept that his son had drowned. He reiterated that Tahsif had received swimming training.

According to his father, Tahsif was exceptionally brave and intelligent. He does not believe that his son would have run away after being chased by a police officer. He finds this absurd.

“Even if 100 police officers stood in front of a commissioned officer, he would not be expected to run away. GD pilots are among the best commissioned officers. The best candidates are selected to become GD pilots,” Eneyetul Karim said.

He said Tahsif left home shortly after 6:30pm on Tuesday. When Dwip called him from downstairs, Tahsif told his mother, “Mum, I’m just going out to have a quick word with him.”

He never returned home.

Eneyetul Karim said Tahsif’s mother repeatedly called to ask when he would return. Each time, he replied, “Mum, I’m coming, I’m coming.”

At 1:35am, Tahsif sent a voice message via Messenger saying that he was on his way. However, he did not say where he was leaving from. The family could not contact him after that. They called him throughout the night but received no response.

Just before the evening of the following day, River Police called to inform the family that Tahsif’s body had been found.

“We rushed there after receiving the news, but we could not collect the body that day. It had been sent to the morgue at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College for an autopsy. The body was handed over to me around noon on Thursday,” his father said.

Tahsif’s death has left his father emotionally devastated. Referring to the online trolling directed at him on social media, Eneyetul Karim said, “I am extremely upset. As a father, I have lost my son. On top of that, people are trolling me on Facebook and elsewhere.

“I am the eldest of 11 siblings. My mother is a proud mother who is a ‘Ratna garbha’. I raised each of my brothers and sisters to become someone they could be proud of. I built this large family. Because of that, I have to remain strong.”

He said breaking down and crying in front of journalists would not bring his son back.

“When an accident happens, I try to make things easier for everyone around me so that they can find the mental courage and strength to cope. What is happening inside me, how I am breaking down, how I am crying uncontrollably and screaming—that happens inside my room or in the bathroom. I see it, and Allah sees it. Whatever happens, it is a personal matter,” Eneyetul Karim said.

Tahsif’s father said the family had contacted his son’s friend, Dwip. Dwip told him that they had dinner together and that he had dropped Tahsif off near his home before leaving. However, Tahsif’s motorcycle was later found some distance away.

Eneyetul Karim questioned the account: “If Dwip had left Tahsif near his home, how did the motorcycle end up being found there?”

He added, “When I could not find my son, I asked his friend specifically where they had parted ways. He said they had said goodbye outside Gate No. 1. Then he said they had parted inside the gate.

“He also told me that he had returned home by midnight. Later, I learned that he had returned home after 2:30am. These things raise questions.”

Tahsif’s father further said Dwip had told police that the two had gone towards Rajbari Ghat. There, they allegedly saw two people wearing police uniforms and ran away. Another account later claimed that Tahsif had jumped into the river. His father said he did not personally know what had happened.

“I know nothing about this. However, Dwip told me that he had left my son there. Later, I heard that his motorcycle had been found at that location. If they went there together, the inconsistencies in these accounts naturally raise questions,” Eneyetul Karim said.

He said he did not know what had happened after his son left home but believed the circumstances were highly unusual.

“This is something I cannot accept in the case of my son,” he said.

Tahsif had worked at the Bangladesh Cricket Board and later at Netra News. His father has called for a fair investigation to establish the actual cause of his son’s death.

The Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) has expressed deep concern and grief over the mysterious death of K M Tahsif Souri . The organisation has called for an independent, impartial and transparent investigation to establish the actual cause of death.

In a statement issued today, HRSS said there were inconsistencies in the information and accounts surrounding Tahsif’s death. These needed to be verified through an impartial investigation, it said.

The organisation called for the publication of the autopsy and chemical examination reports, the preservation of digital and physical evidence, the protection of family members and witnesses, and safeguards for the legal rights of the person in custody.