A year after the murder of Jagannath University Chhatra Dal leader Jobayed Hossain, his mother continues to weep while tears swim in his father’s eyes.
Although Jobayed’s elder brother Enayet Hossain Shaikat witnesses such scenes every day, he struggles to find words to console his parents.
“If the murder trial had at least been completed, I could have consoled them by saying that justice had been served. But that has not happened,” he told bdnews24.com.
Jobayed was killed on Oct 19 last year while visiting a student he tutored at a house in Old Dhaka’s Armanitola. He was stabbed on the ground floor of the student's residence around 4:30pm.
Two days later, Enayet filed a case with Bangshal Police Station.
Eight months after the case was filed, on Jun 30, investigating officer Sub-Inspector (SI) Ashraf Hossain of Bangshal Police Station submitted a chargesheet against three people to the court.
The suspects are Jobayed's student Barjis Shabnam Barsha, her alleged boyfriend Mahir Rahman and Mahir's friend Fardeen Ahmed Aylan.
On Aug 12, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Nazmin Akter ordered the case transferred to the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court after it became ready for trial.
The case is now pending before the court of Acting Judge Mazharul Islam of the 20th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court in Dhaka.
A hearing on the framing of charges was scheduled for Oct 11.
However, the hearing has been postponed to Oct 28, court bench assistant Mazedul Islam said.
All three suspects are in jail. Their bail petitions were rejected by the court on Oct 11.
State counsel Zakir Hossain Khan said the case had arrived at his court for trial the previous week, with Oct 11 being the first scheduled date.
“The suspects sought bail. We opposed the petitions, and bail was denied. The next hearing on the framing of charges has been scheduled for Oct 28. We hope the charges will be framed that day. We will then try to conclude the trial quickly by bringing in witnesses,” he said.
Brother Struggles to Console Parents
Enayet, who was recently appointed to the education cadre through the 49th Bangladesh Civil Service examination, said he was disappointed that the trial had yet to begin a year after his brother's death.
“The chargesheet has been submitted, but the remaining steps have not progressed very quickly. A year has already passed.
“My brother's trial has not begun. My parents ask when the trial will start and when the verdict will come. I have no answer for them,” he said.
Enayet said he was two and a half years older than Jobayed and that their father had struggled greatly to raise his four sons.
“Our father had hoped that we would become BCS cadre officers or hold senior government positions, and that people would know us.
“Our parents never made us do any difficult work. They told us to concentrate on our studies. When I was studying at Dhaka University, I kept Jobayed with me and guided him. He stayed with me until Aug 5, 2024. Later, I left the university dormitory and he moved into a mess hall. Then this happened to him,” he said.
Enayet said his mother cried every day and he could see the tears in his father's eyes, but he had been unable to comfort them.
“When they are with me, they feel a little better. They find Jobayed in me because we used to spend time together. When I leave them, their condition deteriorates.
“My brother was murdered. If the trial had been completed, I could at least have told them that justice had been served. That has not happened either. We want the maximum punishment for the accused, and we want it to be delivered as quickly as possible,” he said.
Defence Lawyers Offer Conflicting Accounts
Noor Mahabubul Alam, Barsha's lawyer, claimed his client had been wrongfully implicated in the murder case.
“We will seek Barsha's discharge on the next date. If charges are framed, she will have to face trial. Allah willing, we will get justice.
“There has not been any substantial evidence against Barsha. If there is any, it will emerge. The girl has been victimised,” he said.
The lawyer said the house where the murder took place belonged to Barsha's family and Mahir was a tenant there. According to him, Mahir was infatuated with Barsha, but she did not know about his feelings.
“Although she was made to state in a confession that she had a relationship with Mahir, we know there was no relationship between them,” he said.
Noor said he had spoken to Barsha personally and she had denied being in a relationship with Mahir.
“Barsha has been implicated in the case. We all want justice, and whoever is guilty should be punished. If Barsha is guilty to any extent, she should receive a punishment proportionate to that. But she has already suffered that punishment,” he said.
Mahir's lawyer M Rashiduzzaman, however, claimed that Barsha and Mahir had been in a romantic relationship before Jobayed began tutoring her.
“Barsha and Mahir were in a relationship. Then the boy, Jobayed, came to tutor her, and a romantic relationship developed between them too. Jobayed made some videos of Barsha and threatened to post them on social media. The girl wanted to save herself,” he said.
According to the lawyer, Barsha contacted Mahir and asked him to stop Jobayed from releasing the videos. Mahir then warned Jobayed against publishing them.
“Jobayed was involved in politics. He used his influence and challenged Mahir. Barsha discussed these matters with Mahir.
“He wanted to frighten the boy with a knife. He had no intention of killing him. Things went wrong as he was trying to scare him. Barsha had initially been in a relationship with Mahir, but she used him. Another boy, Fardeen, got caught up in the case after going with Mahir. Whatever the circumstances, I will fight for my client through legal means,” Rashiduzzaman said.
Details of the Murder
According to the case statement, Jobayed tutored students alongside his studies at Jagannath University.
As usual, he went to teach Barsha at Raushan Villa on Nur Box Lane in Bangshal on the afternoon of Oct 19 last year.
Around 5:45pm, the student messaged Jobayed's junior university mate, known only as Saikat, on Messenger, saying: “Someone has killed Jobayed sir.”
Jagannath University student Kamrul Hasan informed Jobayed's brother Enayet by phone around 7pm.
Enayet then went to the scene on a motorcycle with his brother-in-law Sharif Mohammad.
They arrived around 8:30pm and saw bloodstains on the stairs and walls as they climbed from the ground floor.
They found Jobayed's bloodied body lying face down on the staircase on the building's second floor.