Aminul Murder: 14 years on, family waits for justice

Fourteen years after the brutal killing of Aminul Islam, a labour leader from Ashulia, his family continues its quest for justice, calling for a full and impartial probe to bring all those responsible to book.

Aminul, 40, was abducted on the evening of April 4, 2012, by self-proclaimed labour leader Mustafizur Rahman and an unidentified burqa-clad woman.

His body was found the next morning by the roadside in Ghatail, Tangail, bearing signs of torture. The autopsy confirmed it was a murder, sparking outrage both at home and abroad.

Aminul’s elder brother Rafiqul Islam filed a murder case with Ghatail Police Station. The investigation passed through four officers before Fajlul Kabir, assistant superintendent of police at the Criminal Investigation Department, submitted a charge sheet in 2013, naming only Mustafizur.

Mustafizur reportedly worked as a source for intelligence agencies. In 2018, a Tangail court sentenced him to death, but he had already gone into hiding.

The family and activists of the Bangladesh Centre for Workers Solidarity (BCWS), where Aminul was an organiser, rejected the verdict.

They said the judgment failed to clarify Mustafizur’s role, identify accomplices, or address alleged involvement of intelligence officials.

Speaking to The Daily Star yesterday, Aminul’s brother Rafiqul said the family never received justice under the Awami League government that was in power at the time.

“We now want an impartial investigation to identify the real killers and masterminds, and ensure their speedy trial,” he said.

Kalpona Akter, a labour rights leader, told this newspaper yesterday that Aminul had previously been detained and tortured by the National Security Intelligence in 2010, leaving him in need of hospitalisation. BCWS lodged a complaint at the time, but no explanation was ever provided.

The charge sheet detailed Mustafizur’s background. He was formerly employed at Queen South Textile Mills, later worked at EPZ Medical Trust Board in Dhaka as a daily-wage MLSS staffer.

Though nominally a hospital staffer, his primary role was intelligence gathering in Ashulia’s garment factories, reporting unrest and strikes to DEPZ security and intelligence officials.

According to the charge sheet, on April 2-3, 2012, workers at Shanta Industries Ltd engaged in “disruptive behaviour and assaults on managers”, prompting complaints against 83 workers. Mustafizur was contacted to collect advance information on worker activities.

Records show he had multiple phone conversations with intelligence officers on April 4, 2012, the day Aminul was abducted and killed.

Evidence indicated that Mustafizur and the unidentified woman lured Aminul from his BCWS office under the pretext of arranging a marriage, abducted him, and disposed of his body in Ghatail, added the charge sheet.

Despite a Tk 100,000 reward announced by the home ministry and several operations, both suspects remain at large.

Kalpona said, “There has been no proper investigation or trial in Aminul murder. Justice has not been delivered.”

Rafiqul echoed that only Mustafizur has been held accountable, while others involved remain untouched.

“My brother worked tirelessly for workers’ rights, ensuring unfair dismissals and unpaid wages were addressed, and representing workers’ causes in court. Yet, his murder remains unsolved,” he said.