Red tape stalls murder probe of ex-BCL leader Shamim as court docs yet to reach PBI

Some of the suspects are roaming campus freely and are openly involved in student politics

The investigation into the lynching of former Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leader Shamim Ahmed at Jahangirnagar University (JU) has stalled out for over a year, with the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) yet to receive critical court documents.

The probe hit a procedural deadlock after the victim’s family filed a separate case expressing dissatisfaction with the initial case filed by the university administration.

Although a court ordered the two cases to be investigated simultaneously by the PBI, the agency says the necessary case files from the court have not reached them.

Shamim, also known as Shamim Molla, was beaten to death by a group of students on the university campus on Sept 18, 2024, shortly after the fall of the Awami League government.

He was an organising secretary of the university’s BCL unit.

The JU administration filed a murder case naming eight students on Sept 20.

Shamim’s elder brother, Shahin Alam, filed a second suit on Oct 8, 2024, naming nine students and high-ranking university officials, including the proctor and registrar.

The court subsequently directed the Ashulia police to merge the two investigations and tasked the PBI with the probe.

Shahin alleged that despite the order being issued a year ago, the PBI is still operating solely based on the university’s initial filing.

"I have visited the court but found no record of my case files being moved. The PBI and the police have provided no updates on any progress," Shahin said, expressing frustration over the delay.

PBI Sub-Inspector Anisur Rahman, the investigating officer, confirmed the situation: "We only have the documents from the university administration’s case. We are yet to receive the files from the victim’s family's case."

While the university syndicate suspended seven students and withheld certificates of two former students for six months in March 2025, the victim's family claims the accused are still moving freely on campus.

Adding to the controversy, some of the suspects have secured prominent positions in student politics.

Ahsan Labib, an accused in the case, was recently elected as the Social Service and Human Resources Secretary in the JUCSU elections.

Another suspect, Hamidullah Salman, is currently serving as the president of the Rabindranath Tagore Hall unit of the Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal, the BNP’s student front.

"The accused are roaming the campus openly, and we are receiving no cooperation from the university administration," Shahin claimed, urging the new government to ensure a fair trial.

Three students previously arrested in connection with the murder -- Mahmudul Hasan Raihan, Saiful Islam Bhuiyan, and Atiquzzaman – immediately after the first case was filed are currently out on bail.