Chhatra League leader Diaz murder suspects to seek another autopsy

Those accused in a case over the murder of Chhatra League leader Diaz Irfan Chowdhury plan to move the court for a third autopsy on Diaz’s mortal remains.

Alamgir Tipu, the prime suspect of the case, revealed the plan at a news briefing at the Chittagong Press Club on Sunday.

Tipu headed the executive committee of the Chittagong University (CU) unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) that was recently dissolved.

Tipu said he had secured bail from the High Court.

He asked the university authorities to take measures to avert arrest of any of those accused in the case started by Diaz’s mother Jaheda Amin Chowdhury. He denied his involvement in the murder and called on the authorities to scrap the case.

Chittagong University might witness demonstrations on the campus if the case is not withdrawn, said Tipu, who is also an accused in the CRB double-murder case.

A central committee leader of BCL, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, Diaz was found dead at his home on the 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 suicide, but his loyalists claimed rivals had murdered him and hung the body to cover it up

Last year on Nov 24, Diaz’s family rejected the autopsy report and started a case with a Chittagong court accusing 10 people of the murder.

The case filed by Jaheda Amin Chowdhury at a senior judicial magistrate's court accused 10 including Chittagong University's assistant proctor Anwar Hossain.

The others she has accused of killing her son are Alamgir Tipu, 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 body was exhumed after a court ordered a re-examination. On Aug 7 this year, upon receiving the latest forensic report that found signs of murder, the court ordered the Criminal Investigation Department or CID to conduct the inquiry.

“It has been a year since the CID started the investigation but found no clue that may implicate us,” Tipu said claiming that Diaz’s family had started the “cooked-up” case with “misinformation”.

The initial autopsy report was 'flawless' while the second one was “baseless”, Tipu told the media.

He briefed journalists twice on Sunday. In the second phase of the briefing held in the afternoon, he said the false case aimed at cornering the followers of Mayor Nasir.

“Tough movements will follow if the false case is not withdrawn and the real reason of the death is not disclosed.”

In December 2016, Tipu held a presser where he claimed that he was innocent and blamed the murder on four other Chhatra League leaders.