Former Police Superintendent Babul Akhter boarded a hotel in Cox's Bazar with his wife Mahmuda Khanam alias Mitu. An Indian woman came into another room next to it. Mitu saw Babul twice in a row in an objectionable state with that woman. And that is why she was subjected to mental torture and later planned murder.

On Monday (April 23), in the court of Chattogram's third additional metropolitan session judge Md. Jasimuddin, Mitu’s mother Shaheda Mosharraf gave this information in her testimony.

Shaheda Musharraf said, on April 26, 2002, my eldest daughter Mahmuda Khanam Mitu got married to Babul Akhtar. Babul Akhter was unemployed at that time. After marriage, their relationship was not so good from the very beginning, it was rough. Later Babul Akhtar joined the police. Then transferred as ASP (Additional Superintendent of Police) to Cox's Bazar. There, Babul fell in love with a woman of Indian origin.

He also said that one day Babul Akhtar took Mitu to a hotel in Cox's Bazar. The woman also got up in the next room. In that woman's room, Babul Akhtar was seen in an offensive state by Mitu. Then Mitu asked him, what is he doing here? Babul told Mitu that he is working on the laptop to go abroad. Mitu felt very sad to see both of them in this condition. She was there for a while. As the kids are alone, Mitu comes to their room. After the kids went to sleep, she fell asleep too.

Describing seeing him again in an offensive condition late at night, he said, Mitu woke up around 3 am. Babul Akhter was still not in Mitu's room. When Mitu went to the woman's room again, she found them both in an offensive state. Mitu came to the room crying and called me. Then I told her, you come. Mitu then said, my sons and daughters will think me bad. So I trust in Allah.

While testifying, Shaheda Musharraf said that Babul Akhtar came to Bangladesh three to four times during his stay abroad (on mission). However, even after returning to the country, he did not go to the house, i.e. to Mitu or his children. After completing the mission, he went to China. Sitting there, Babul planned to kill Mitu.

Mitu had a business. Mitu was killed with Tk. three lakh from the business. Babul Akhtar came to our house after Mitu died. He was in our house for six months. Sitting there, he interacted with the accused. On June 24 (2016) Babul Akhtar was taken to the DB office. Then Babul left the job from there. I then asked him, why quit the job? Then he said, I have to quit my job because of Mitu's murder. I told him, is the matter of your leaving your job for the trial of Mitu's murder?, he said.

Shaheda Musharraf said that Babul Akhtar bought weapons for Musa with Tk. 70 thousand to kill Mitu. Musa's wife said this. Musa's wife asked him, did you kill Mitu? Musa then told his wife, Babul Akhtar will crossfire me if I don't kill him. Babul Akhtar told us that the accused of Mitu's murder have been arrested. I asked to crossfire.

Shaheda also said that accused Wasim, Anwar were arrested. A few days later Bhola was caught. After being arrested, he gave a statement in court - Musa killed Mitu on the orders of Babul Akhtar. A month and a half after Mitu's death, we came to Chattogram to hold Milad at the house where she was staying. A few days later, accused Kalu and Shahjahan were arrested. After we came to Chattogram, it seems that Babul Akhtar killed Mitu in a premeditated manner. He filed a case of Mitu's murder himself with false information. Later, the investigating officer of the case told my husband, you filed a case against Babul Akhtar. On May 12, 2021, Mitu's father  filed a case at Panchlaish police station.

Babul Akhtar's mother called Mitu's mother Shaheda 15 days after her death (in 2017). She called me and said, my son (Babul) killed Mitu. You forgive him. Then I said to her (Babul's mother), if Babul died, would you have said this? I have told this to the investigating officer.

Retired police inspector Mohiuddin Mahmud testified first after the start of testimony in this sensational case at 12 noon today who was in charge of Panchlaish police station (OC) of the city at the time of the incident. Then Shaheda Musharraf stood in the courtroom to testify.

It is to be noted that on the morning of June 5, 2016, Mitu, the wife of Chattogram Superintendent of Police Babul Akhtar, was shot and hacked to death while going to drop her son in the school bus at GEC intersection in Chittagong city. SP Babul was transferred from Chattogram a few days before the incident. The murder took place in Chattogram soon after he left to join his workplace in Dhaka.

After three and a half years of investigation, the DB Police could not find any clues, so the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) got the charge of investigating the case on the orders of the court in January 2020. Then in May 2021, PBI said that wife Mitu was killed in Babul Akhtar's 'plan'. For this, Babul "gave Tk. three lakh through people" to the killers.

Later after giving the final report in Babul's case Mitu's father filed another case. However, Babul's case was revived after that case did not reach the court. On September 13, 2023, the PBI filed a charge sheet in the court in that case. Seven people including Babul were accused. On October 10 of that year, the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Chattogram accepted the complaint. On March 13, 2023, the court ordered the trial to be started by framing charges against the accused. The testimony began on April 9 of that year. Mitu's father Mosharraf Hossain testified as the first witness.

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is staying in Dhaka on a two-day visit.

The Emir of Qatar will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the second day of his visit on Tuesday (April 23). Agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) will be signed between the two countries after the meeting of the two top leaders.

Earlier on Monday (April 22) the Emir of Qatar arrived in Dhaka on a special flight around 5 pm. President Md. Shahabuddin welcomed the Emir at the airport.

It is learnt that 11 agreements and memorandum of understanding (MOUs) will be signed between the two countries during the Emir's visit. These include six agreements and five MoUs. His visit will discuss trade and investment as well as the special situation in the Middle East resulting from the Iran-Israel conflict.

The Emir of Qatar will pay a courtesy call on the President at Bangabhaban on Tuesday afternoon. He will then leave Dhaka by special flight in the evening.

Incidentally, this is the first time since 2005 that an Emir of Qatar visited Dhaka.

Monday was the last day of the 5-day International Documentary Festival titled '12th Liberation Doc Fest Bangladesh' organized by Liberation War Museum. According to the announced schedule, the selected documentary film exhibition was supposed to start at 11 am.

This reporter reached the museum premises at 11:15 am to see the exhibition in the auditorium of the Liberation War Museum in Agargaon of the capital. He found no one there except a few security personnel. However, a few hanging banners with relevant information on the walls of the museum building seemed to inform the evil of the festival.

After not getting any update regarding the festival from the security personnel, he went to the museum secretariat and spoke to a person in charge named Farhat, who is responsible for coordinating the festival. Farhat said that the documentary exhibition will start at 11 am according to the pre-determined schedule of the festival.

Walking into the auditorium, the empty auditorium was filled with only one worker testing a documentary to be shown on the projector. After sitting and waiting for a while, a documentary filmmaker from Kolkata named Mrinmoy Banerjee appeared there. He said that his documentary was selected to be screened at the festival and he was invited to attend the festival by email and phone.

A little after 11:00 am, the museum worker started showing the documentary entitled 'Those Who Brought the Flag of Revolution in Their Hands' without announcement and presence of any visitors.

After the screening of this 40-minute long documentary, Mrimmoy, who came to watch the documentary produced by himself with a well-wisher in an empty auditorium, expressed his disappointment and told Barta24.com, "If any visitor has not seen this, why should it be shown here under the name of International Documentary Film Festival?" May have importance! Was it necessary to be invited to such a festival?

The young producer said, "I received an e-mail from the organizers requesting to participate in the festival, it mentioned issuing 2 passes for my team, but when I actually attended and asked the concerned, no one could tell me anything about it." I made this documentary at my own expense out of responsibility towards history and tradition. Participation in such an event is pointless if those who are interested cannot see it.

He said, "Perhaps the organizers have failed to convey information about this festival to those interested." Despite adverse weather conditions, true fans flock to this type of event regardless of obstacles - we have seen that from past experience.''

Chest specialist Dr. Uttam Kumer Barua who came to watch the documentary of producer Mrinmoy Banerjee complained that the museum auditorium was not suitable for the exhibition and said, "After sitting in the auditorium for half an hour, I understand that the museum staff did not even clean it before the exhibition." It smelled bad, the way a theater is prepared by using air fresheners, it's not done here.'

This Chest Specialist also commented that anyone can get sick in such an auditorium.

Twenty-five volunteers can be seen chatting inside the museum after coming out of the auditorium. When asked why none of them went to the auditorium - they refused to speak. When asked about the matter from Farhat, who is coordinating the festival, he avoided the responsibility of not having visitors due to the crowd. However, he did not give any answer to the question why museum workers and volunteers related to the festival did not stay at the exhibition.

Speaking to an employee of the museum who did not want to be named, it is known that there was hardly any attendance at the opening and closing of the '12th Liberation Doc Fest Bangladesh' except for some guests and visitors. State Minister for Information Mohammad Ali Arafat inaugurated the festival on April 18 at the museum auditorium.

Indian filmmaker Nilotpal Majumder and India's national and international award-winning filmmaker Haubam Pawan Kumar were present at the inaugural function. Asaduzzaman Noor, Trustee of Liberation War Museum and Mofidul Haque, Trustee and Festival Director of Liberation War Museum also spoke on the occasion. Sara Zaker, trustee and member secretary of Liberation War Museum, gave the opening speech at the event.

In 2006, the Liberation War Museum started the Documentary Film Festival. Famous filmmakers of the world participated in this festival with their documentaries and enhanced the status of this festival. The organization has been awarding the best documentary filmmakers following the judicial process through a nationally and internationally recognized jury board. But this time, the Liberation War Museum could not maintain the rich tradition in organizing this festival - this is the complaint of the documentary filmmakers.

The High Court has granted bail to Tanya Khondokar, wife of Syed Ashfaqul Haque, former executive editor of the Daily Star, in the case of 'negligent death' of a domestic worker. Besides, the rule has been issued asking why Ashfaqul Haque will not be granted bail.

On Monday (April 22) a bench of the High Court division consisting of Rezaul Hasan and Justice Fahmida Quader gave this order.

Senior lawyer Md. Khurshid Alam Khan argued in favor of the bail petition. Attorney General Abu Mohammad (AM) represented the state.

After the hearing, Khurshid Alam told the media that it is a bailable offence. The ruling was issued seeking why Ashfaqul Haque should not be granted bail and Tania Khondokar was granted interim bail.

Earlier on March 21, the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Assams Jaglul Hossain did not grant them bail.

On February 6, a teenage domestic worker died after falling from the ninth floor of a residential building in Mohammadpur of the capital. The 15-year-old girl named Preeti Oran used to work at the house of Syed Ashfaqul Haque, the former executive editor of the Daily Star, a resident of that building.

The case was filed against Syed Ashfaqul Haque and his wife Tanya Khondokar on January 7 by Lukesh Oran, the father of domestic help Preeti.

The suit alleges wrongful death under Section 304(a). Then they were arrested on January 6. On January 7, the court rejected the remand and bail pleas of the accused and ordered them to be sent to jail. The court ordered them to be interrogated at the jail gate for three days. Then on February 13, in view of the 10-day remand application, the court granted them a four-day remand. They were sent to jail after being remanded on February 18.

Syed Ashfaqul Haque was dismissed from the Daily Star on April 2 due to the incident.