Crime and Justice
Former Kushtia Superintendent of Police Tanvir Arafat Shown Arrested in Another Murder Case
Daulatpur (Kushtia) Correspondent
SM Tanvir Arafat, former Superintendent of Police (SP) of Kushtia, has been shown arrested again in connection with the murder case of BNP activist Qudrat Ali in Daulatpur, Kushtia, who was killed by gunfire.
Today, Monday (July 28), he was brought to the Kushtia court under strict security from prison at 1:41 PM. He was then presented before the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Mostofa Parvez of the Daulatpur Amoli Court, where he was shown arrested in another murder case. Afterwards, at 1:51 PM, he was sent back to prison from the court.
Previously, on December 26, he was arrested as the main accused in the shooting death of another BNP activist, Sujan Malitha. Since then, he has been held in Kushtia Jail.
Deputy Police Commissioner Tanvir Arafat was attached to the Sylhet Range DIG office. His ancestral home is in Khulna’s Khalishpur Upazila. During his tenure in Kushtia, police officer SM Tanvir Arafat was controversial. He faced criticism for various actions since his arrival in Kushtia. He even had to stand in the dock of the court for these incidents and suffer departmental punishment.
Details of the Qudrat Ali Murder Case
The son of the deceased BNP activist Qudrat Ali filed a case at Daulatpur Police Station on October 2, 2024.
In the case statement, the plaintiff mentioned that his father, Qudrat Ali, was an active supporter of BNP. “Since the inception of BNP, my father, my family, and I have been involved with BNP. My father actively participated in all BNP programs. Due to his widespread popularity in the area, my father Qudrat Ali could gather large crowds at local meetings, rallies, and programs.”
“For this reason, Awami League terrorists and some opportunistic police officers planned to arrest and murder my father under false charges to prevent him from participating in BNP programs. As a result of this conspiracy, the accused, including (then) (1) OC Investigation Nishikant Sarkar, (2) SI Roknuzzaman, (3) SI Mehedi Hasan, (4) SI Shahjahan, (5) ASI Anisur Rahman, (6) former Kushtia District Superintendent of Police SM Tanvir Ahmed, and other police officers, planned to kill my father.”
“According to the plan, around 2:00 AM on July 23, 2020, the aforementioned accused, along with 10-12 unidentified police officers, came to our home in Munshiganj and abducted my father, Qudrat Ali, from the house. Subsequently, from July 23 to July 25, my relatives, BNP party members, and I searched for my father Qudrat. When we went to the police station and asked OC Investigation Nishikant Sarkar about my father’s whereabouts, he said they couldn’t say anything.”
“On the morning of July 25, we heard that my father had been disappeared and murdered, and his body was kept at the police station. Upon receiving this news, we first went to the police station and learned that the body had been sent to Kushtia Hospital. At the hospital, we found my father Qudrat Ali’s body. There were two bullet marks on his chest, on the right and left sides, and injury marks on both hands, back, face, and legs.”
“The accused abducted my father from our house, disappeared him, tortured him, shot him to death, and then left the body at the hospital morgue. After the burial of the body, on July 26, when I went to file a case against the accused, OC Investigation Nishikant Sarkar told me that if I filed a case, I would face the same fate. Due to the Awami League being in power and SP SM Tanvir Arafat earning the nickname ‘Kushtia Killer Tanvir,’ no one dared to speak up out of fear. Consequently, neither my family nor I could file any case. After Sheikh Hasina fled the country on August 5, and the situation became normal, I filed this complaint.”
Police Statement and Previous Cases
Regarding this matter, Daulatpur Police Station OC Md. Solaiman Sheikh stated that an application for his arrest was made to the court in connection with a case at Daulatpur Police Station. The court granted the arrest application. It is worth noting that at that time, according to police information, Qudrat Ali was a drug dealer, and he was killed in a crossfire during a police anti-drug operation.
Previous Murder Case
Incidentally, on September 13, 2019, a case was filed against former Kushtia SP Tanvir Arafat for the alleged shooting death of BNP activist Sujan Malitha. On September 29, Sujan Hossain (42), the political elder brother of the deceased Sujan, filed the case at Kushtia Model Police Station. The case named a total of 15 individuals, with 10-12 unknown individuals also accused. The deceased Sujan Malitha was the son of Ismail Malitha of Takimara village in Kushtia Sadar Upazila. The plaintiff, Sujan Hossain, is the son of Abdur Razzak of Lalon Shah Road, Mill Line area, Kushtia city.
Bangladesh’s High Court has upheld the death sentences of former police officials Pradeep Kumar Das and Liaqat Ali in the murder of retired Major Sinha Md Rashed Khan, describing Pradeep as the “mastermind” and principal planner of the killing. The 378-page verdict, delivered on 2 June, was uploaded to the Supreme Court website on 23 November.
The court observed that Pradeep was present at the scene and pressed his shoe-clad foot on Sinha’s chest and neck, ensuring his death—an allegation supported by witness testimonies and the post-mortem report. The court further noted that Liaqat Ali fired four shots at the unarmed victim in a premeditated manner, causing his death.
Stating that the trial court had correctly applied Section 302 of the Penal Code, the High Court upheld the earlier sentences: death for Pradeep and Liaqat, and life imprisonment for six others found guilty of conspiracy, aiding the crime, and sharing a common intention.
Major Sinha was shot dead at a police checkpoint in Shamlapur on 31 July 2020. The Cox’s Bazar court delivered the initial verdict on 31 January 2022. Following procedure, the death reference was sent to the High Court, while the convicts also filed appeals. With the High Court verdict now affirmed, the defence is expected to appeal to the Appellate Division once the certified copy is received.
Authorities in Meherpur have fined Nivalak Paints Bangladesh Ltd. Tk 200,000 for illegally producing paint. The penalty was imposed during a joint operation conducted by the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection and RAB on Sunday afternoon.
Mamunul Hasan, Assistant Director of the Consumer Rights Directorate in Meherpur, said the factory had been producing paint without proper authorization for an extended period. During the raid, officials found evidence supporting the violation and imposed the fine accordingly.
The same operation also penalized two other establishments: Shahin Traders was fined Tk 15,000 for selling oil and gas without a valid license, while New Bengal Foods was fined Tk 5,000 for producing bakery items in an unhygienic environment.
RAB-12 Meherpur Company Commander Lt. Wahiduzzaman and Food Safety Officer Riaz Mahmud were also present during the operation,
Bangladesh’s Border Guard (BGB) has detained a Bangladeshi passenger at the Benapole check post for carrying a large amount of foreign currency. The man, identified as Shafikul Islam, 46, was held on Friday morning after BGB personnel recovered 110,000 Saudi Riyals and 10,000 US dollars from his luggage. The seized currency is valued at approximately Tk 4.82 million.
According to officials, Shafikul Islam, son of Sirajul Islam from Harnath Ghosh Road in Dhaka’s Lalbagh area, arrived from India through the Benapole land port. During baggage scanning, the foreign currency — hidden using special techniques — was discovered. His passport number is E-00745663.
BGB sources said Shafikul had travelled to India a day earlier for business purposes. While staying at a hotel in Kolkata, he was handed the foreign currency by another Bangladeshi man named Litu, who instructed him to deliver it to an unidentified person upon returning to Bangladesh.
Lt Col Saifullah Siddiqui, commanding officer of BGB Battalion-49 in Jashore, confirmed the arrest, stating that the operation was carried out based on confidential information. The seized money has been deposited with the Benapole Customs seizure wing, and the detainee has been handed over to Benapole Port Police for further legal action.
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