The High Court has rejected a petition seeking its order for conducting the investigation into the Jun 26 broad daylight killing of Rifat Sharif by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) or the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).
The bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahsan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader turned down the petition on Sunday (Jul 28), saying it was not moved on proper grounds.
Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Eunus Ali Akond filed the petition on July 25 seeking the court's directives to transfer the case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) or the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).
Rifat Sharif was indiscriminately hacked by a group of youths in Barguna in front of his wife, Ayesha Siddiqua Minni on June 26.
The incident sparked outrage across the country after a video footage of the incident went viral on social media.
Rifat’s father, Dulal Sharif, filed a murder case against 12 named and five or six unknown attackers with Barguna police station.
Till date, a total of 15 people have been arrested in connection with Rifat's murder, and all of them have confessed to their crimes.
Around a week after the murder, a prime accused, Sabbir Hossain Nayan, also known as Nayan Bond, was killed in a gunfight with police on July 2.
On July 16, police arrested Rifat’s wife Minni. A court placed her on a five-day remand the following day.
On July 18, Barguna Superintendent of Police (SP) Maruf Hossain said Minni confessed to her involvement in the murder.
The next day, a Barguna court recorded her statements.
Soon after her statements, Minni's father Mozammel Hossain said her daughter gave the statements under duress.
In at press conference on July 24, he claimed that Rifart was killed as a sequel to an altercation with Shamsunnahar Khuki, wife of Barguna Zilla Parishad Chairman, and former lawmaker Md Delwar Hossain.
He also demanded the case to be transferred to CID or PBI for proper investigation.
On July 26, Rifat's father, Md Abdul Halim Sharif Dulal, held another press conference where he accused Minni and her family of trying to manipulate the investigation of his son's murder case.