Editorial Desk :A recent talk-show held over the murder of Sohagi Jahan Tonu, a student of Victoria University, who was found dead inside Comilla Cantonment on March 20, debated about the need for a proper post-mortem report. Her death sparked a wave of student protests throughout the country.Sohagi Jahan Tonu, 19, a second year history student of Comilla Victoria College, and a member of Victoria College Theatre, went missing that day, hours after she had gone out of her house at Comilla Moynamoti Cantonment for private tuition.Later, Tonu’s father Yaar Hossain found his daughter lying senseless with severe injuries in her body in a bush adjacent to their house. She was then whisked off to Combined Military Hospital where doctors declared her dead. Tonu murder case was shifted to the CID on March 29 to expedite its probe.Earlier, a CID team again interrogated Comilla Medical College Hospital physician Sharmeen Sultana, who conducted the first autopsy on the body of Tonu, over the killing. The CID team also visited the spot at Moynamoti Cantonment where Tonu’s body was found, and talked to her family members. They also held a closed-door meeting at the guesthouse of the Cantonment Board. However, the outcome of the meeting was not disclosed to reporters.A post-mortem examination, also known as an autopsy, is the examination of a body after death. The aim of a post-mortem is to determine the cause of death. Post-mortems provide useful information about how, when and why someone died. This autopsy, or post-mortem report as it is called, is conducted to help identify three elements of the crime: 1) the cause of death, 2) the mechanism of death and 3) the manner of death of the victim in question. But here also remained problems as the dead body of Tonu was buried hurriedly without collecting enough evidence for investigation – which means that forensic evidence crucial to the case may have been destroyed. There has been some anxiousness to say that the cause of murder was not rape. The inquest report submitted by the police is also unacceptable. It did not find any sign of injury or assault on any part of the victim’s body. Both the army officers and Tonu’s parents confirmed that there were severe injury marks on her body. Tonu’s father, who was the first to find her daughter dead in a bush in Comilla Cantonment area, mentioned that the back of Tonu’s head was smashed, and there were injuries in her nose particularly. The most cruel part of the investigation was when the parents and relatives of Tonu have been interrogated more than once by the law enforcement agencies. Tonu’s parents mentioned, as per reports of national dailies, that they had been put under pressure to mention in the statement that Tonu had a relation with someone in the college, and other demeaning things about their daughter.However, as has been said the post-mortem report says about the cause of death it, cannot determine the identity of the person or persons who have committed the actual murder. So autopsy report cannot be any reason why the criminals have not been found out. That is for the investigation agencies to explain. Almost one month has gone by and so far none have been arrested or charged for the brutal offence. After all this time we are still debating on whether the post-mortem has been carried out properly or why it has taken so long. To carry out any murder three things must co-exist-motive, means, and opportunity – and a proper investigation into the social circumstances surrounding the life of the young woman should surely provide enough insight into the profile of the murderer.Instead of debating whether or not the post-mortem report has been correctly published or delayed, we need to focus our attention on the failure of the investigation process itself and why so much time is being taken to complete the investigation. The crime did not take place in an unknown area amidst unknown persons. Special Police Super of Comilla CID Dr Nazmul Karim Khan told reporters that they suspect it was a pre-planned murder and that several persons might have been involved in the incident. He said they have so far interrogated over 50 people in connection with the killing. The murder of a girl student cannot be so pre-planned that it became necessary to question 50 persons, yet, found nothing. The investigators should at least tell us what was the nature of the deep planning. The smiling photo of the girl victim published in the media is reminding us of our shameful living in conditions of cruelty where we are all helpless against a few.
