Space For Rent
Friday, March 25, 2016, Chaitra 11, 1422 BS, Jamadius Sani 15, 1437 Hijri


No headway in Tonu rape, murder probe
Mamunur Rashid
Published :Friday, 25 March, 2016,  Time : 12:00 AM  View Count : 359
Police failed to find any clue to the rape and subsequent killing of Sohagi Jahan Tonu, a student of Comilla Victoria College,
inside the Comilla Cantonment.
The body of Tonu, 19, a second-year student of History Department and a member of Victoria College Theatre Group, was recovered from Mainamati Cantonment in Comilla on Sunday night.
The following day, Tonu's father Yaar Hossain, a Class IV employee of the Cantonment Board, had lodged a case with Kotwali police of Comilla city. But the police are yet to make any headway in the investigation of the rape and murder case. Police also failed to identify the killers four days into the murder.
Bangladesh is seething with anger as police have not been able to make arrests of the rapists and murderers of Tonu. Police claim to be working on the case to unfold the motive, but have stayed away from commenting on the progress 'because of the ongoing probe.'
Many organisations held demonstrations in Comilla, Dhaka and other districts in protest against the incident that has caused a social media firestorm.
Hundreds of students of Comilla Victoria College formed a human chain in Comilla city for an hour demanding the arrest of the killers of their fellow female student.
After the human chain at Pubali Chattar in Kandirpar area, the students submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner demanding justice for Tonu, our Comilla correspondent said. 
The body of 19-year old Tonu, with her head smashed, was found in a bush near a culvert at the cantonment's Alipur area on March 20 night. After recovering the body, police, based on the findings at the crime scene, had said that the girl was first raped and then murdered.
Tonu was in her second year studying history at Comilla Victoria College. She was also into theatre and lived with her family at Alipur.
Quoting her family, Tonu's classmate Mainul Haque said she used to give private tuition to earn some money to supplement her expenses. Tonu had left her student's house at around 7:30pm on Sunday for home, but did not get there.
Several organisations including Nari Sanghati, Bangladesh Chhatra Union and Bangladesh Chhatra Federation also held protest programmes.  Students and cultural organisations demonstrated in other districts including Chittagong against the murder.
Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other social media users have erupted in furore in no less intensity. Many have criticised the silence of the local administration while some questioned how such incident could take place inside a high-security area such as an army cantonment.
Some users on Facebook called for justice for Tonu while several others urged the Prime Minister's intervention in the matter.







Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka. Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000. Phone :9586651-58. Fax: 9586659-60, Advertisemnet: 9513663, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected].