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Published : 27 Apr 2026, 12:10 AM
Twelve years have passed since the chilling abduction and murder of seven people in Narayanganj, yet the families of the victims find themselves trapped in a prolonged legal limbo.
Despite the death sentences handed down nearly nine years ago, the final execution of the verdict remains stalled, prompting relatives to question if true justice will ever be served.
On Apr 27, 2014, Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) panel mayor Nazrul Islam, senior lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarkar, and five others were abducted from the Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road.
Three days later, six bodies were found floating in the Shitalakshya River, the seventh was recovered the following day.
The investigation revealed that the murders were the result of a power struggle, executed through a conspiracy involving local ward councillor Nur Hossain and members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
Out of the 35 people chargesheeted, 25 were RAB personnel who were subsequently dismissed from service.
In January 2017, a Narayanganj court sentenced 26 individuals, including Nur Hossain and three top RAB officials, to death.
Later, in August 2018, the High Court upheld the death penalty for 15 of them while commuting the sentences of others to varying prison terms.
The case is currently stuck in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
Abul Kalam Azad Zakir, the public prosecutor of the Narayanganj District and Sessions Judge's Court, noted that the proceedings have been stagnant for nearly nine years.
"The case was disposed of in the Appellate Division, but it is now caught up in the 'leave to appeal' proceedings," Zakir told bdnews24.com.
"While this process naturally takes time, it is taking unusually long in this instance. We are coordinating with the attorney general to expedite the matter."
For the families, the legal delay is a source of daily trauma.
Roza Akter Jannat, the daughter of slain driver Jahangir Alam, was born a month after her father's death. She is now 12 years old, growing up without ever having seen him.
Her mother Shamsunnahar Akter Nupur who works a contractual job at the NCC, expressed her frustration.
"My daughter cries when she sees others with their fathers. I don’t know when we will see the killers punished. We are just counting the days."
Selina Akter Beauty, the widow of Nazrul Islam, expressed disappointment that the case remained unresolved even after the fall of the Awami League government and during the tenure of the interim government.
She voiced hope that the current BNP-led administration would take a firm initiative.
"Everything was proven in broad daylight, there is no mystery left. Former prime minister Khaleda Zia had previously assured us that justice would be served under her government. We are holding onto that hope," Beauty said.
For some, the wait is becoming a race against time.
Abul Khayer, the elderly father of victim Tajul Islam, said: "I doubt whether I will live to see the final verdict executed."
