Few cases in Bangladesh’s modern history have been as politically charged or as cynically exploited as the Narayanganj Seven-Murder case. What began as a horrifying episode of abduction and killing in 2014 was soon transformed into a political theater—one that served the interests of the then Awami League regime under Sheikh Hasina and its local power brokers like Shamim Osman. Beneath the façade of justice, the case became a tool for political vindication, selective punishment, and systemic abuse of state power.

From the very beginning, the Hasina government used this case as a shield against mounting domestic and international allegations of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. The Narayanganj incident, horrific as it was, became a convenient spectacle to prove that the government could deliver justice—even as the same administration presided over years of impunity, police brutality, and suppression of dissent.

The truth, however, is far more sinister. Evidence that has since surfaced suggests that the case was politically manipulated from top to bottom—its investigation guided, its prosecution accelerated, and its verdict predetermined. Several officers of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) were framed, scapegoated at the altar of political convenience, and condemned under a farcical judicial process.

The politics of a “show trial”

When the bodies of the seven victims, including city councilor Nazrul Islam and lawyer Chandan Sarkar, were recovered from the Shitalakhya River, national outrage was inevitable. But instead of conducting an impartial investigation, the Hasina administration swiftly removed all local law enforcement personnel in Narayanganj. Their replacements were handpicked loyalists, ensuring total control over the narrative. Reports from that period reveal how the government installed a trusted police superintendent to direct the investigation —one later publicly praised by MP Shamim Osman, a man whose own name repeatedly surfaced in connection with local crime and political violence.

That police officer, Dr. Khandaker Muhid, was soon rewarded with a promotion to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Ironically, he later gained notoriety for his role in orchestrating violent crackdowns on peaceful protesters during the July 24 movement—proof, if any were needed, that loyalty to the ruling party outweighed the rule of law.

In truth, the investigation was less about justice and more about protecting Hasina’s political allies. Reports from various newspapers during and after her tenure reveal that the government closely supervised the proceedings, ensuring that certain individuals—especially Shamim Osman and his associates—were kept beyond the reach of the law.

A constitution betrayed

If justice was the promise, the trial betrayed it. The constitution of Bangladesh forbids double jeopardy—the prosecution of an individual twice for the same offense. Yet, in this case, the accused were subjected to multiple proceedings and contradictory rulings, a blatant violation of fundamental rights. The prosecution failed to produce direct witnesses to the murders, and testimonies conflicted at every stage. Still, under government pressure, the court issued death sentences to several RAB officers in record time.

How extraordinary that a lower-court verdict could reach the High Court in just six months—an unprecedented haste in a judicial system notorious for delay. The message was unmistakable: silence is safety; dissent leads to death. These RAB members were not tried—they were silenced.

The shadow of Shamim Osman

No account of this travesty can exclude Shamim Osman, the Awami League’s powerful Narayanganj MP and self-styled godfather. Osman’s enmity toward RAB was personal and deeply rooted. Around the same time, RAB investigators (particularly Major Arif) had reportedly been closing in on Osman’s family’s involvement in the brutal killing of Tanvir Mohammad Taqi, a bright young student and one of Narayanganj’s most shocking murder victims.

RAB’s shadow investigation pointed unmistakably toward Osman’s circle. Fearing exposure and political annihilation, Osman struck back—with the backing of the highest levels of government. The Seven-Murder case became the perfect diversion. Within a week of the killings, RAB officers who had been investigating the Taqi case suddenly found themselves accused in the Narayanganj murders. Coincidence? Hardly.

The Taqi murder charge sheet, due to be filed in court the very week after the seven murders, vanished from the public record. The case was buried. And the officers who had dared pursue it were condemned. In the chilling words of Shamim Osman himself, when asked by journalists about the Taqi case: “Those who tried to implicate us are now death-row convicts.” That single statement reveals the entire mechanism of vengeance, manipulation, and power abuse that defined Hasina’s Bangladesh.

State machinery as a weapon

What unfolded next was not justice—it was theater. The Hasina regime, desperate to counter international criticism of its growing record of disappearances, used the Narayanganj case as its moral showcase. Every public statement, every diplomatic briefing pointed to this case as “proof” that Bangladesh could hold its security forces accountable. Meanwhile, hundreds of cases of enforced disappearance, torture, and unlawful detention continued unchecked.

In this context, the conviction of RAB members—some of whom had long records of professionalism—was not about the victims of Narayanganj.  It was about optics. Hasina needed a story to tell the world. The Seven-Murder case became that story—a macabre cover-up that traded the lives and careers of RAB personnel for international legitimacy.

The collapse of justice

Now, after the change of government on August 5, the truth is finally seeping out. Investigative reports and statements from the National Commission on Enforced Disappearances have begun revealing what many suspected: Sheikh Hasina personally oversaw aspects of the case, ensuring that certain names were excluded and certain others were doomed. It is also now evident that Osman’s political immunity was guaranteed in exchange for his silence and loyalty.

The victims’ families deserve truth, yes—but so do the men falsely condemned. Justice cannot exist when it is selective. It cannot serve as a mask for political revenge.

The case for review and redemption

It is time Bangladesh confronts this dark episode with honesty. The Narayanganj Seven-Murder case must be reopened under an impartial judicial commission. The confessions, witness statements, and chain of command must all be re-examined. The role of Shamim Osman and his family must be investigated without political interference. Above all, the condemned RAB officers—many of whom have languished for years in death row confinement—deserve a fair retrial.

To deny them that is to perpetuate the same injustice that Sheikh Hasina institutionalized: a justice system weaponized for politics, a security force betrayed by its own government, and a nation misled by propaganda.

The moral reckoning

The Narayanganj case was never just about seven murders. It was about the corruption of state power—the transformation of law into a tool of political vengeance. Sheikh Hasina’s eleven-year rule left a trail of fear, censorship, and coercion that still haunts Bangladesh’s institutions. And Shamim Osman stands as the enduring symbol of that decay—a local warlord shielded by a fallen regime.

Justice, if it is to mean anything, must now speak for those who were silenced—both the victims of Narayanganj and the RAB officers condemned without proof. Bangladesh must cleanse its judiciary of political manipulation and restore dignity to those wrongfully accused. Until that day comes, the Narayanganj Seven-Murder case will remain a monument not to justice—but to its betrayal.

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Source: Weekly Blitz :: Writings