Toki murder: Access to justice delayed

Influential people have allegedly been hindering the access to justice for the family and friends of Tanvir Mohammad Toki, a teen-aged boy who had passed his A-level exams before death in Narayanganj more than 13 months ago. "Various obstacles created by some influential people, including lawmakers and high officials, are blocking the way for justice in the sensational murder case," alleged speakers at a protest meeting in the city. Referring to the delay in the charge sheet submission in the case, they alleged, though Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) said last month that the charge sheet, citing the name of some influential people, including the son of a member of parliament (MP), would be submitted soon, no progress has been made so far in the case. The body of Toki, 17, the son of Narayanganj Ganajagaran Mancha convener Rafiur Rabbi, was found in the bank of Shitalakkhya River on March 8, 2013, two days after going missing. Family members, friends and cultural activists of Narayanganj said father's role against war criminals could be a motive behind Toki's killing. Communist Party of Bangladesh leader Manjurul Ahsan Khan, eminent journalist Kamal Lohani and Prof Sharifuddin Ahmed, among others, addressed the protest programme, according to a news agency.