With no trace of special public prosecutor of Rangpur Rathish Chandra Bhowmik even in five days, different organisations yesterday continued to demonstrate in the district demanding the rescue of the "missing" lawyer.
To press home their demand, Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad observed a hunger strike in front of Rangpur Press Club.
Rangpur district and city unit of Puja Udjapan Parishad organised the event that started at 10:00am and continued till 5:00pm. Rathish is the president of Rangpur district unit of Puja Udjapan Parishad.
Ruling Awami League (AL) activists were also present there.
The speakers at the programme expressed grave concern for the missing lawyer as what they said police had failed to find him in the last five days.
Referring to the examples of disappearances in the recent past, the speakers urged the government to
take a stronger initiative to rescue him unhurt as early as possible.
The organisers also threatened to go for 72-hour hunger strike if the missing lawyer is not rescued in the next 24 hours.
Rangpur district AL President Rezaul Karim, its city unit General Secretary Tushar Kanti Mondal, Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Oikya Parishad's central Organising Secretary Swapna Rani Das, Rangpur district President Bonomali Pal and General Secretary Swapon Kumar Roy, its city unit President Advocate Komol Majumdar, and Puja Udjapan Parishad's district General Secretary Dhriman Chattapadya, spoke.
Meanwhile, the lawyers of Rangpur also continued their work absentia yesterday. They held a human chain at the court compound demanding the rescue of their missing colleague.
Members of Jatiya Shromik Jote and Sammilito Sangskritik Jote of Rangpur unit, and the Association of
Lawyers' Assistants of Rangpur also staged demonstrations in the city demanding immediate rescue of Rathish.
Rathish was the PP of the cases filed over the murder of Japanese national Hoshi Kunio and Khadem Rahmat Ali on October 3 and November 10 in 2015 respectively.
The special judge court of Rangpur sentenced five members of militant Islamist outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to death in Japanese national Hoshi Kunio murder case on February 28 last year. The same court convicted seven JMB militants to death for killing Khadem Rahmat Ali on March 18 this year.
After the judgments, Rathish received death threats several times.
No headway: Police
Though five days have elapsed, police are still in the dark.
On condition of anonymity, some police officials said they are not narrowing down their focus on militant groups only. They are conducting investigation keeping in mind other issues as well, added the police officials.
Rathish played an important role in recovering Debottor (endowment) Property worth Tk 300 crore in the last one year. Besides, he was a witness in the war crimes case against Jamaat leader ATM Azaharul Islam, who was sentenced to death, by the ICT.
The investigators said they are considering those aspects as well.
Meanwhile, police said they had collected CCTV footages around the residence of the missing lawyer at Tajhat Babupara area in Rangpur city and were examining those.
Police spoke to several persons who talked with Rathish the day before he went missing on March 30. Police also interrogated those who knew Rathish well, but there is no headway, said the police officials.
On Monday, police arrested four suspected abductors - Delwar Hossain, Rafiq Mia, Ziarul Mia and Baharul Mia of Gotlar area in Rangpur Sadar upazila - from different places in the district.
Police were interrogating the arrestees, said Babul Mia, officer-in-charge of Rangpur Sadar Police Station.
Meanwhile, on information from Rathish's wife, Rab yesterday recovered a dead body in Rangpur city's Pachhat Mollapara area, Mufti Mahmud Khan, director of Rab’s legal and media wing, told The Daily Star early today. Rab was yet to determine the identity of the body.a