35 years after Sagira Morshed murder, Dhaka court to deliver verdict

A Dhaka court has scheduled 20 February as the date to announce the judgment in the high-profile murder case of Sagira Morshed, who was killed in 1989.

The decision was made by the Judge of Dhaka Special Judge Court-3, Mohammad Ali, according to Advocate Faruk Ahmed, representing the plaintiff.

The individuals accused in this case are Dr Hasan Ali Chowdhury, 71, Sagira's brother-in-law; his wife Sayedatul Mahmuda alias Shahin, 65; Mahmud Rezwan, 60; Maruf Reza, 60; and Mantu Mandal alias Mintu. Among them, Mahmud and Maruf are currently incarcerated, while the others have been released on bail.

Sagira Morshed was fatally shot on Siddheswari Road, Dhaka, on 25 July 1989, while on her way to pick up her daughter from Viqarunnisa Noon School and College. The assailants, riding a motorcycle, attempted to rob her of her gold bangle and shot her as she tried to escape, leading to her death en route to the hospital.

The murder case was initially filed by Sagira's husband, Salam Chowdhury, at the Ramna Police Station. A chargesheet against Mantu was submitted on 17 January 1991. Subsequent orders from the High Court transferred the case to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).

The PBI investigation revealed that the murder was not a simple mugging but involved a deeper family feud. On 15 January 2020, Inspector Rafiqul Islam of PBI Dhaka (South) Metropolitan submitted a new chargesheet. Later, on 13 November 2020, Dr Hasan and his wife Shahin confessed to their involvement in Sagira's murder before Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Tofazzal Hossain.

Following these developments, the PBI arrested Dr Hasan upon his return from abroad, presenting him before the magistrate's court as part of their ongoing investigation into the murder, which has now spanned over three decades.