The investigation into the murder of Tanwir Muhammad Tawqi of Narayanganj is yet to be completed though eight years have passed since the 17-year-old brilliant student was killed.

The Rapid Action Battalion, assigned to investigate the murder, as in the past, claimed that they were investigating the murder case with due importance but declined to say when the investigation would come to an end and a charge sheet would be submitted.

Tawqi, then an A-level student at ABC International School in the river-port city, was abducted on March 6, 2013. Two days later, his body was found floating in a canal in Narayanganj. The murder sparked countrywide protests.

Tawqi’s family and people in Narayanganj are observing Tawqi’s eighth death anniversary today.

Santras Nirmul Tawqi Mancha, a platform that political and socio-cultural activists formed after the murder seeking justice, staged a rally on Friday afternoon under the banner titled Eight Years of Impunity at the local Ali Ahmed Chunka City Library repeating the demand for justice.

The platform will stage demonstrations with various programmes today and tomorrow.

The victim’s father, Rafiur Rabbi, blamed the culture of impunity enjoyed by influential quarters linked to the government and the ruling party as the key reason for the stalling of the investigation.

He said that the RAB, one year after the murder, in a press conference claimed that they were progressing  towards the charge sheet in the case and also named people who killed Tawqi and how he was killed.

‘Seven years have gone by since the RAB press conference but the charge sheet is yet to be submitted,’ he said, alleging that he is not getting justice as the killers are influential ones related to the ruling party.

Rafiur Rabbi further alleged that that the murder investigation had come to a halt after the prime minister’s June 3, 2014 comment in the Jatiya Sangsad that she would remain beside the ‘Osman family’.

But Lieutenant Colonel Khandaker Saiful Islam, commanding officer of RAB-11, which is conducting the investigation, claimed to the New Age correspondent in Narayanganj, ‘We are conducting the investigation and there are progresses in the investigation.’

He declined to say more about the progress he said they had made in the investigation.

Rafiur Rabbi filed the case over the killing of his son with Narayanganj Police Station on March 8, 2013 without naming any suspects.

On March 18, 2013, Rabbi gave the names of seven suspects to the then Narayanganj superintendent of police.

The suspects include ruling Awami League MP AKM Shamim Osman, his son Ayon Osman, their associates Jahirul Islam Parvej, who went missing a few months after Twaqi was murdered, Mizanur Rahman Sujon, Rajib Das, Saleh Rahman Simanto and Rifat.

As there was no headway in the investigation by the police the High Court Division on May 28, 2013, responding to an appeal from the plaintiff, ordered the RAB to carry out the investigation into the killing.

On March 5, 2014, the then RAB additional director general Ziaul Ahsan told the media that the elite force had found the involvement of Ajmeri Osman and 10 others in Tawqi’s murder.

Ajmeri Osman is son of the late lawmaker Nasim Osman and nephew of ruling AL lawmaker Shamim Osman and Jatiya Party lawmaker Salim Osman.

Court officials said that two suspected assailants, Yousuf Hossain Liton and Sultan Shawkat Bhramar, in their statements gave detailed accounts of how Tawqi was murdered on the night of March 6, 2013.