Bay Insight, Cox’s Bazar

A court in Cox’s Bazar has sentenced four accused to death and nine others to life imprisonment in the widely discussed murder case of Bangladesh Army officer Lieutenant Tanzim Sarwar Nirjon.

Five accused were acquitted in the case.

The verdict was delivered on Wednesday afternoon by Judge Mohammad Abul Mansur Siddiqui of the Additional District and Sessions Judge (Fifth) Court in Cox’s Bazar.

Those sentenced to death are Md Helal Uddin, Nurul Amin, Md Nasir Uddin and Morshed Alam. Among them, Morshed Alam remains absconding. All are residents of Dulahazara union in Chakaria upazila.

The verdict drew significant attention at the courthouse, ending nearly one year and eight months of legal proceedings in one of the country’s most talked-about criminal cases.

Following the judgment, chief prosecutor Mohammad Jahangir said the young army officer had fallen victim to a brutal killing while carrying out his duty in service of the country.

“His family, the Bangladesh Army, the state and the people all expected justice to be ensured,” he said.

He added that the court had not relied solely on allegations or one-sided testimonies. Instead, it examined witness statements, evidence, surrounding circumstances and the overall facts of the case before delivering what he described as an exemplary punishment for four of the accused.

Another prosecution lawyer, Ahsan Sezan, said the atmosphere in the dock remained calm after the verdict, although the expressions and behaviour of the accused reflected “a visible sense of guilt”.

“Lieutenant Tanzim was a patriotic officer. He went there to protect people’s lives and property and to ensure public security. But he was brutally killed in the situation that unfolded,” he said.

He said verdicts in both the murder and Arms Act cases were delivered on Wednesday. Alongside the death sentences and life terms, 13 accused were also handed an additional 10 years in prison under sections 399 and 402 of the Penal Code.

Sezan said the prosecution was “reasonably satisfied” with the judgment. He noted that the judge had highlighted issues of social justice, public safety and discipline in his observations.

“The court also stressed that while ensuring punishment for the real offenders, it must equally ensure that no innocent person is convicted,” he added.

He further said the verdict was delivered after considering both the prosecution’s evidence and the defence’s cross-examinations. The full judgment regarding the five acquitted accused would be reviewed and further legal steps could be taken if necessary.

Meanwhile, several defence lawyers said they had been denied justice and would challenge the verdict before the High Court.

Tahsin Sifat, lawyer for the fifth and sixth accused, said they were dissatisfied with the ruling, particularly the life sentences and separate punishments under the Arms Act imposed on his clients.

“We believe they have been deprived of justice. Therefore, we will appeal against the verdict before the higher court,” he said.

Lieutenant Tanzim Sarwar Nirjon, 23, was killed around 1:30am on Sept 23, 2024 while conducting an anti-robbery operation in the East Maizpara area of Dulahazara union in Chakaria.

Originally from Tangail, Tanzim had been commissioned from the Bangladesh Military Academy in 2022 and was serving in the Army Service Corps. His killing triggered nationwide outrage and mourning.

Two days after the incident, Senior Warrant Officer Abdullah Al Harunur Rashid filed a murder case against 17 people over the killing and alleged robbery preparations. In a separate case, Chakaria Police Station Sub-Inspector Alamgir Hossain filed charges under the Arms Act.

Later, Chakaria Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Arup Kumar Chowdhury was assigned to investigate the cases.

After completing the investigation, police submitted charge sheets against 18 people in the two cases. Several individuals named in the original complaint were dropped due to lack of evidence, while new accused were added based on the findings of the investigation.

Bay insight | Cox’s Bazar

A humanitarian catastrophe is feared after a Malaysia-bound trawler carrying more than 250 trafficked Bangladeshis and Rohingya capsized near the Andaman Islands.

The incident came to light after nine survivors were rescued. The Bangladesh-flagged vessel MT Meghna Pride found them floating at sea and later handed them over to the Bangladesh Coast Guard.

Survivors described harrowing accounts of human trafficking and the deadly incident.

Rohingya survivor Rafiqul Islam said he was lured with a job offer from Kutupalong Bazar on April 2 and taken to a house in Rajarchhara area of Teknaf’s Kachhopia union, where he was held with 20–25 others in inhumane conditions. He said they were subjected to severe abuse whenever they tried to leave, and many houses in the area were used to
detain trafficked victims.

On April 4 night, they were taken from the Marine Drive adjacent coast near Rajarchhara and boarded onto small fishing boats. At one point, they were forced to hide in the bush when a Border Guard Bangladesh patrol vehicle passed. They were later transferred in stages to a larger fishing trawler near Myanmar waters, close to Saint Martin’s Island.

More people were loaded onto the vessel, bringing the total to around 280, including 13 crew members and traffickers, 21 Rohingya women, and four children. About 150 of the passengers were Rohingya, while the rest were Bangladeshis.

After leaving the sea near Shamila on April 4, the trawler reached near the Andaman Islands on April 8. Due to rough seas, traffickers forced passengers into four cramped storage compartments meant for fish and nets. Around 25 to 30 victims reportedly died from
suffocation and overcrowding. Survivors said traffickers threatened to sink the trawler if those on deck refused to move into the compartments. Eventually, the vessel capsized after being hit by large waves.

Rafiqul said he survived by clinging to a two-litre water bottle, while he could not say what happened to the others. He was rescued along with eight others on April 9 by a Bangladesh-flagged ship.

Another survivor, Md Imran from Kutupalong Rohingya camp, said he joined the journey hoping to escape camp life. “When we reached near the Andaman Sea, the trawler sank. I held onto a water tank and fought for my life for two days before being rescued by a Bangladeshi ship,” he said. “I still cannot process how many people died. Living with this memory is extremely painful. I am still unwell and have returned home through a court order.”

The Coast Guard has filed a case under the Human Trafficking Prevention and Suppression Act with Teknaf Model Police Station.

According to the case statement, the victims were being transported illegally to Malaysia on a boat named “Tanjina Sultana” when it sank due to adverse weather.

Officer-in-Charge Saiful Islam of Teknaf Model Police Station said the nine rescued individuals were brought to the station. Legal action has been taken against six traffickers, and three victims have been sent home through court orders after initial questioning.

Among the rescued, six are Bangladeshi nationals and three are Rohingya.

He said the recured persons are not telling clearly what happened to the trawler and how they were floating the sea.

“We don’t figure out how many people were there on the sinking boat”, he said. At one stage he refused to talk to this correspondent.

On the other hand, Bangladesh Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan in a press release, said the vessel MT Meghna Pride, en route from Chattogram to Indonesia, rescued nine people — eight men and one woman — from the deep sea near the Andaman Islands on April 9 afternoon. They were later handed over at midnight to the Coast Guard patrol ship Mansur Ali.

The rescued individuals were identified as Md Imran, Rahela Begum, Hridoy, Sohan Uddin, Md Akbar, Rafiqul Islam, Tofayel, Sayad Alam, and Md Hamid.

Cox’s Bazar | Bay Insight

To ensure conservation and sustainable management, a proposal has been prepared to divide St. Martin’s Island, the only coral island of Bangladesh, into four distinct zones. The zoning framework has been outlined in a draft master plan prepared by the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) under the Ministry of Water Resources.

The draft master plan was presented on Tuesday (6 January) at a workshop on the St. Martin’s Master Plan held at a hotel in the capital Dhaka. At the workshop, CEGIS Senior Expert H. M. Nurul Islam highlighted various aspects of the proposed plan.

According to the draft master plan, St. Martin’s Island is proposed to be divided into four zones: General Use Area, Controlled Resource Area, Sustainable Use Area, and Restricted Access Area.

General Use Area: Tourism and Settlement under Conditions

In the General Use Area (Zone 1), residential living, tourism activities, infrastructure development, and limited economic activities will be allowed. However, these activities must be conducted in line with environmentally friendly and sustainable development guidelines.

Activities harmful to the environment such as coral collection, pollution, night fishing using artificial lights, and high-speed vehicle movement are proposed to be prohibited in this zone.

Controlled Resource Area: Protective Buffer for Sensitive Zones

The Controlled Resource Area (Zone 2) has been identified as a buffer zone surrounding environmentally sensitive areas. Limited eco-friendly tourism and economic activities may be permitted here.

However, the draft plan proposes to ban illegal resort construction, deforestation, use of harmful agricultural chemicals, and collection of turtle eggs. Restrictions are also proposed on using lights or lighting fires on boats at night.

Sustainable Use Area: Nature Conservation Zone

In the Sustainable Use Area (Zone 3), human intervention is recommended to be kept to a minimum. No new settlements, infrastructure development, or environmentally altering activities will be allowed.

Mangrove forests, lagoons, and turtle nesting sites will fall under this zone and receive special protection. Public access will be limited, and high-speed vehicle movement will be prohibited.

Restricted Access Area: Strictest Conservation Measures

The strictest regulations are proposed for the Restricted Access Area (Zone 4). Following the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) standards for a “Strict Nature Reserve,” this zone is planned to be developed as a fully protected area.

Public access will be almost entirely prohibited. Activities such as settlement, resource extraction, fishing within 1,000 meters, causing pollution, or disturbing wildlife are proposed to be strictly banned.