Himu 'Murder'
Accused 'threaten to kill' witnesses
Shikor, an anti-drug organisation, forms a human chain in front of Chittagong Press Club yesterday protesting death threats issued by the accused in Himu killing case to two witnesses who are also members of Shikor. Himadri Majumdar Himu, 18, was allegedly pushed off the roof of a four-storey building by some friends on April 27. He died in a Dhaka hospital after 26 days. Himu had affiliations with Shikor. Photo: STAR
Two witnesses in the Himu murder case filed separate general diaries with Panchlaish Police Station in Chittagong yesterday seeking security, stating that the accused had threatened to kill them if they testified against the latter. Eighteen-year-old Himadri Majumdar Himu, a student of Summerfield School and College, was allegedly pushed off the roof of a four-storey building, Farhad Mansion, at Panchlaish Residential Area in Chittagong on April 27 by his friends. Before pushing him off, they beat him up mercilessly and also had set three dogs upon him. Himu died 26 days later in the capital's Square Hospital. In his statement, the first witness, M Ismail, said the death threat was issued by the accused, Shah Selim Tipu, owner of Farhad Mansion, and his son Junaid Ahmed Riad, both of whom are now on bail. They arrived with some unknown youths and stopped Ismail before Chittagong Medical College Hospital around 1:45pm on Friday, he said. “If you testify against us, your fate will be the same as Himu's,” Ismail, president of Shikor, an anti-drug organisation Himu was involved in, quoted the accused. The other witness, Abu Toyab, a Shikor member, stated that the accused had stopped him near Makki mosque of Panchlaish area around 3:00pm the same day and threatened to “bury him alive” if he gave deposition against them. Tipu and Junaid got an eight-week interim bail on August 14 from a Dhaka court. HUMAN CHAIN BY SHIKORShikor members formed a human chain before Chittagong Press Club yesterday around 4:00pm protesting the death threat and the slow development in the case investigation. They placed several demands, including immediate arrest of the accused, submission of a charge-sheet and punishment to the accused. Shikor General Secretary Jawed Ali Chowdhury said over three months have passed with no development in the case investigation. Police, instead of arresting the accused, were providing the accused the opportunity to come and threaten the witnesses and delaying the charge-sheet submission in order to exclude the names of the accused, he said. “Himu gave the names of his attackers before he died so there is no logic in delaying the case progress,” he stated. Himu's father Prabir Kanti Majumdar expressed his frustration over the role of law enforcers. “Police assured of many initiatives to catch the accused and that the accused would be arrested soon, but nothing happened.” On contact, the investigation officer of the case, Inspector (Investigation) Mohammed Alamgir, said the charge-sheet would be submitted “soon”. Panchlaish Police Station Officer-in-Charge Alamgir Hosssain said they would take necessary steps as per the GD. Asit, a distant uncle of Himu, filed the murder case with Panchlaish Police Station on May 24 accusing Junaid, his father Tipu and his friends Shahadat Hossain Saju, Danny and Shaon of killing Himu. Police detained Saju and a court sent him to jail while Danny and Shaon are on the run. Prabir, a day after the torture on Himu, had filed a general diary with the police station in connection with the torture. Himu, in the hospital bed on the same day, gave his friends a description of the brutal torture he was subjected to and the four boys who carried it out on him.
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