Sumon Zahid was murdered for his testimony in a war crimes case: Wife

Sumon Zahid, son of martyred intellectual Selina Parvin, has been murdered for being a witness in a war crimes case, his wife Kazi Dreakshinda Zabin has alleged.

Golam Mujtaba Dhrubabdnews24.com
Published : 19 June 2018, 10:16 AM
Updated : 19 June 2018, 10:16 AM

Sumon, 57, had testified as the third prosecution witness against war crimes convicts Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan.

Both were sentenced to death and are now living in the UK.

Also, Sumon used to write against those who committed crimes against humanity in 1971. Police found Sumon dead beside a railroad in Khilgaon area in Dhaka on Jun 14.

“Sumon died after jumping into a moving train,” police said citing witnesses. However, they are investigating his death.

Disagreeing with the police statement, Dreakshinda Zabin said: “We have lived our lives in a constant sense of insecurity since the testimony by Sumon in the International Crimes Tribunal. We always lived our lives in anxiety and fear.”

“Sumon was mentally strong even after all such things. He was murdered because of being a witness in the case.”

Sumon’s brother-in-law Kazi Mohammed Bakhtiar was also sceptical over the media reports that cited a child as a witness to the death.

“Some people claimed they saw Sumon drinking tea, which isn’t true, as he was never a tea drinker. They also claimed he used to roam around the neighbourhood for days in depression, which can’t be true either; he had no reason to go there,” Bakhtiar said.

 “There are also inconsistencies in the statements provided by the witnesses. We can never accept that Sumon committed suicide. There could be other reasons.”

Referring to the murder of the younger brother of musician Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul, another witness in the same case, Bakhtiar said: “Someone has murdered Sumon too, and is now trying to portray it as a suicide.”

Railway Police had recovered the body of Bulbul’s younger brother Miraj near the Kuril flyover in the city within seven months of his testimonies against Jamat-e-Islami former Ameer Golam Azam in March 2013. Forensic experts said Miraj was strangled.

A report published in a newspaper citing Railway Police said Sumon had invested his relatives’ money in Shantinagar Branch of Farmers Bank where he was a second officer. The branch was closed five months back. He even lost his job. Police have been investigating any influence of these on his death, according to the media report.

“Some of Sumon’s acquaintances deposited money into Farmers Bank on his request and they later asked him to withdraw the funds. However, they have never put any pressure on him; it can never lead to his suicide,” Dreakshinda Zabin told bdnews24.com.

Sumon’s cousin Zahid Hossain said he was supposed to join another organisation after he left the bank. “Sumon used to live in his own house and had good relations with his family members.”

Sumon’s brother-in-law Bakhtiar said he never had a financial crisis after losing his job that will instigate him to commit suicide.

“The media report that cited a child as a witness has no credibility. They should be careful in publishing such news,” Kazi Sarwar, another brother-in-law of Sumon told bdnews24.com.

“We request the media not to publish anything that tarnish the image of a freedom fighter’s family,” he said.

“A child present on the scene described the incident to the police. The witness claimed he was run over by a train,” Kamalapur Railway Police Station Chief Yasin Faruque told bdnews24.com. “An investigation is underway.”