Slain BCL leader Diaz’s mother ends hunger strike on police promise arrests

Slain Bangladesh Chhatra League leader Diaz Irfan Chowdhury’s mother has ended a hunger strike she started six days ago following the police’s assurance of arresting the killers.

Chittagong Superintendent of Police Noor-e-Alam Mina gave Jaheda Amin Chowdhury made the promise while visiting her at the port city’s Surgiscope Hospital on Saturday night.

Diaz’s sister Zubaida Sarwar Chowdhury Nipa, a lawyer, told bdnews24.com on Sunday that their mother had water after getting the assurance from the SP.

Other top police officers of Chittagong also visited Jaheda.

She was still at the hospital on Sunday as she fell ill due to the hunger strike. Jaheda was being fed through a nasogastric tube, Nipa said.

Diaz, a central committee leader of BCL, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, was found dead at his home on the Chittagong University campus on Nov 20 last year. The body was found hanging from the ceiling of his bedroom.

Diaz, whose parents are CU staffers, also served as a vice-chairman of the BCL's university unit. The initial autopsy report said it was a case of suicide, but his loyalists claimed the rivals murdered him and hung the body to cover it up.

Last year on Nov 24, Diaz’s family rejected the autopsy report and initiated a case with a Chittagong court.

The case started by Jaheda at a senior judicial magistrate's court accused 10 including Chittagong University's Assistant Proctor Anwar Hossain and Chhatra League President Alamgir Tipu.

The others she has accused of killing her son are Jamshedul Alam Chowdhury, Rashedul Alam Jishan, Abu Torab Porosh, Monsur Alam, Abdul Malek, Mizanur Rahman, Ariful Hoque Opu, and Mohammad Arman.

All the accused and Diaz are known to be followers of Chittagong City Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin, also President of Chittagong Awami League.

Diaz’s remains were exhumed after a court ordered a re-examination.

On Aug 7 this year, upon receiving the latest forensic report that found wounds on Diaz’s body, the court ordered the police to arrest the accused but no arrest has been made.