Tanu murder case: Court orders DNA matching of 3 suspected ex-army members
The investigation officer in the murder case of Sohagi Jahan Tanu, a student of the History Department at Comilla Victoria Government College and a theatre activist, appeared before a Cumilla court on Monday. The court had summoned the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) investigation officer to report on the progress of the case.
Appearing before the court, the investigation officer briefed it on the current status of the case as well as applied for DNA matching of three suspects in connection with the murder, and the court granted approval for the request.
Although 20 March marked a decade since the killing of Sohagi Jahan Tanu, there has been little visible progress in the investigation, causing deep frustration for her family.
Amid this situation, the Cumilla court summoned the investigation officer. Around 11:00 am on Monday, the case’s investigation officer, PBI inspector Md Tarikul Islam from Kallyanpur, Dhaka, appeared before the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate (Cognisance Court No. 1) Judge Md. Mominul Haque in Cumilla.
On the evening of 20 March 2016, Tanu went to a house inside the Cumilla Cantonment to tutor students but never returned home. Later, after a search, her body was found in bushes near the power house inside the cantonment.
It was initially believed that she had been raped and then murdered. The next day, her father, Yar Hossain, an office assistant of the Cantonment Board (now retired), filed a murder case against unidentified accused at Cumilla Kotwali model police station.
Two post-mortem reports, conducted on 4 April and 12 June 2016, by the forensic department of Comilla Medical College Hospital, stated that the cause of death could not be determined.
The DNA report was the last hope in the case. In May 2017, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) informed the media that DNA testing of samples taken from Tanu’s clothing found semen from three men. Additionally, between 25 and 27 October 2017, a CID team interrogated three individuals suspected by Tanu’s mother at Dhaka Cantonment. However, their names were not disclosed to the media at that time.
Speaking with multiple lawyers present at the Senior Judicial Magistrate (Cognisance Court No. 1) in Cumilla, as well as family members of Tanu, it has been learned that after 11:00 am, PBI officer Md Tarikul Islam informed the court about the current status of the case. At that time, he mentioned the names of three individuals and requested collection and matching of their DNA samples.
The PBI officer stated that DNA profiles of three individuals had been prepared from semen samples found on Tanu’s clothing in May 2017. However, no direct DNA matching had been conducted by collecting samples from the suspects themselves.
After learning this, the court approved the DNA matching request. The three individuals are: Sergeant Zahid, Warrant Officer Hafizur Rahman, and soldier Jahangir, also known as Zahid, who were serving at Cumilla Cantonment at the time.
After leaving the court, PBI inspector Md Tarikul Islam told Prothom Alo, “We came to Cumilla mainly in response to the court’s summons. We have informed the court about the progress of the case. The court has asked us to report further developments on the next date.”
Regarding the DNA matching of the three individuals, he said, “Some matters were discussed in court. However, we do not want to comment on these at this moment. Our activities are ongoing. We hope everything will come out through investigation. Tanu’s father was also present with us in court.”
Tanu’s father, Yar Hossain, told Prothom Alo that he is unwell. The investigation officer called him on his mobile phone on Sunday night and again on Monday morning, asking him to come to court. He arrived at the court on time.
After meeting the investigation officer, he was told to speak with him after the court proceedings. The Cognisance Court No. 1 was located on the fourth floor of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court building. However, as he was coming down after the proceedings, Tanu’s father saw that the PBI investigation officer had already left without speaking to them.
Yar Hossain said, “Not only Sergeant Zahid, Warrant Officer Hafizur Rahman, and soldier Jahid, but many others are also involved in my daughter’s murder. I want justice for them all. We have been naming them since the incident, but not a single killer has been arrested so far. If this government does not ensure justice, then I believe we will never get justice.”
Appealing to meet the Prime Minister, Tanu’s father said, “Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said even before coming to the country that if BNP comes to power, justice will be ensured for everyone. Justice will be equal for all—that is the commitment he has made, and we want to see that. I want to meet the Prime Minister once. I want to tell him about my daughter’s killers. I am old and don’t know how long I will live. My only wish before death is to see justice for my daughter’s murder. If I cannot see the killers executed, I will not find peace even after death.”
According to Tanu’s family members, over the past 10 years, apart from changes in four investigating agencies and six investigation officers, they have not seen any new hope in the investigation.
The current investigation officer visited Cumilla on 7 April last year, seven months after taking charge of the case. After nearly a year, he appeared in court again today. During this long period, the family had no communication with the investigation officer.
On Monday afternoon, speaking over the phone, Tanu’s mother, Anwara Begum, told Prothom Alo, “I want nothing else in this life, only to see justice for my daughter’s killers. If the law and justice were equal for everyone, would we have been denied justice? We are hoping the new government will ensure justice for this murder. If the new government fails to do so, then we will understand that the poor have no justice.”
It has been learned that initially the case was investigated by the local police station, then by the district Detective Branch (DB), and later by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for a long period, but none could reach any conclusion.
On 21 October 2020, following instructions from Police Headquarters, the CID handed over the case documents of the Tanu murder to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) headquarters in Dhaka.
Inspector Md. Mojibur Rahman of the PBI headquarters investigated the case for nearly four years. He too followed the path of previous investigation officers and was transferred elsewhere. Most recently, since September 2024, Inspector Md Tarikul Islam has taken charge as the sixth investigation officer of the case.