Savar Nila murder case
Six years lost in the tangle of witness testimony
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
On one hand, the accused in the murder case of a daughter are moving around openly. On the other, her father Narayan Roy continues to carry the grief of losing his only daughter as if carrying a stone on his chest. Six years have passed since the murder of schoolgirl Nila Roy in Savar, but the trial in the case has not ended. The proceedings remain stalled at the witness testimony stage. Only nine of the 18 witnesses have testified.
“I had many dreams for my daughter. But that is no longer possible,” Narayan Roy said with regret while speaking about his daughter six years later. He told Agamir Somoy, “I do not worry about getting justice for my daughter’s murder anymore. Because I am an innocent person. Besides that, I have no other option.”
On the night of September 20, 2020, Nila Roy, a 10th grade student of Assed School in Bank Colony of Savar municipality, was stabbed to death after she refused a marriage proposal. Her father expressed anger, saying that the accused in the case have been moving around openly on bail even six years after the murder. He said, “I have lost my only daughter. I have not received justice even after six years. I am 100 percent certain that nothing will happen to these accused. Even so, I want a fair trial.”
Speaking about Nila’s interest in dancing and the various awards she had received, he said, “My daughter received many awards for dancing. That is why everyone in the area knew her and loved her very much. I had many dreams for her. But that is no longer possible. The accused who murdered my daughter are now moving around openly on bail. Yet I did not get justice.”
How Nila Was Murdered: According to the case details and documents, accused Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury stopped Nila Roy and her brother Alok Roy on the night of September 20, 2020, while they were returning from a hospital in Savar. He then took Nila away from her brother and took her to a nearby abandoned house. There, Mizanur stabbed Nila and fled. Later, Nila was taken to Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar where doctors declared her dead.
Nila became acquainted with Mizanur through Facebook. At one point, Mizanur proposed a romantic relationship to her. However, case documents state that she was killed after refusing the proposal.
The day after the murder, on September 21, Nila’s father Narayan Roy filed a case at Savar Model Police Station. Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury was made the primary accused along with his father Abdur Rahman and mother Nazmunnahar Siddika.
In the charge sheet, Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, his friends Sakib Hossain and Selim Pahlan were named as accused. However, as the allegations against Mizanur’s father Abdur Rahman and mother Nazmunnahar Siddika were not proven, police sought their discharge from the case. A total of 18 people were made witnesses to establish the allegations in the case.
Police arrested Selim Pahlan on September 23. On the night of September 25, police arrested the primary accused Mizanur from Ullail in Savar. A knife used in the murder was recovered from him.
The following day, on September 26, a court granted Mizanur a seven-day remand. Later, he voluntarily gave a confessional statement before the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Rajib Hasan in Dhaka.
Another accused, Sakib Hossain, was arrested on February 1, 2021. On April 28 of the same year, the investigation officer in the case, Savar police station Inspector (Armed) Nirmal Kumar Das, submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Dhaka. However, all three accused were granted bail at different times afterward.
On August 3, 2022, the then judge of the Fifth Additional District and Sessions Judge Court in Dhaka, Ismat Jahan, rejected the accused’s plea for discharge and ordered the trial to begin by framing charges. Witness testimony in the case began on October 31 of that year.
Trial Stalled at Witness Testimony: The case is currently under trial at the Fifth Additional District and Sessions Judge Court. The date for witness testimony was set for May 24. However, none of the witnesses appeared before the court that day. The testimony was later postponed and the next date was set for November 25.
According to case documents, testimony from nine of the 18 witnesses has been completed so far. Two witnesses named Nur Mohammad and Harun testified on May 22 last year. No further testimony has been recorded since then.
Of the three accused in the case, primary accused Mizanur Rahman and Selim Pahlan are currently out on bail. However, as accused Sakib Hossain did not appear before the court on May 24, his bail was canceled and an arrest warrant was issued against him.
Zahirul Islam, public prosecutor at the Fifth Additional District and Sessions Judge Court, said that many witnesses have not been appearing before the court despite summons being issued in the period following August 5. However, testimony from nine public witnesses has already been recorded.
He said, “For the next hearing, summons have been issued to the investigation officer in the case, the magistrate who recorded the accused’s confessional statement and the doctor. The testimony of these three important witnesses will be recorded to conclude the witness testimony, after which the next steps will be taken. We expect that it will not take much time to complete the trial process in the case.”
