For 16 Years I Fought For This: Lawyer Daughter Gets Justice For Murdered Father

Lawyer Daughter Gets Justice : Shegufta Tabassum Ahmed would have never thought in the wildest of her dreams that what she was pursuing in college will act as a catalyst in realising her mission of avenging her father's alleged murder.

Her father went missing on 1st February 2006. He worked as a professor at Rajshahi University in Bangladesh. His body was found in a manhole two days later after which his son filed a report at the police station. On March 17, the police filed a charge sheet against 6 accused in the case for alleged murder.

Who were the accused?

The accused included Taher Ahmed’s departmental colleague Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin, then president of Rajshahi University Chhatra Shibir Mahbubul Alam Salehi, Taher’s residence caretaker Jahangir, Jahangir’s brother and Chhatra Shibir activist Abdus Salam, their (Jahangir and Abdus Salam) father Azimuddin and Salam’s relative Nazmul.

Shegufta Tabassum Ahmed was a first-year student at BRAC University when this happened.  She didn't want to become a practising lawyer at that time. She was, instead, more inclined towards working in other areas where she could make use of her knowledge in law. She, however, changed her mind when the main accused of her father's murder got bail.

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In an interview with Business Standard, she said, "I came to know that the main accused was released on bail from the High Court. Then after discussing with my mother and brother, I firmly committed to my job as a lawyer. Although it is a criminal case, meaning the state would handle this case, there are options for us to appoint lawyers. But, we did not have that ability. The defendants hired as many as 15 to 20 lawyers. On the other hand, some lawyers helped us on their own". She also added that she could never work in the direction of expanding her career because of the case she was fighting.

Verdict

The case went on for 16 years and Shegufta Tabassum fought hard to win the battle. Finally, on April 5, 2022, the Appellate Division sentenced two of the accused to death and two to life imprisonment. The daughter said that she was happy with the verdict.