Tonu's parents: Two army men involved

The parents of murdered Sohagi Jahan Tonu claimed their daughter's killing was well-planned and blamed it on army Sergeant Jahid, his wife and soldier Jahid. The army men are deployed at Comilla cantonment. Tonu's father Md Yaar Hossain and mother Anowara Begum made the claims before the media yesterday evening when they were being taken to the district's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) office for interrogation. It is the seventh time the couple, who lost their daughter in February, have been questioned. Tonu, a second-year history student of Comilla Victoria Government College and cultural activist, was found murdered near her residence inside the Mainamati Cantonment in Comilla on March 20. Her parents have sought the prime minister's intervention to arrest and punish the killers. Yaar Hossain, an official of the Comilla Cantonment Board, and his wife asserted that the mystery surrounding their daughter's death would be solved once Sergeant Jahid and soldier Jahid are questioned. “We are tired at being interrogated time and again. No one from the family, in which Tonu tutored a student, are being questioned by investigators. Even questioning kids from that family would result in important information,” they said. Monowara Begum said her daughter was requested to sing at a programme of the army's study unit but she went on a tour of Sylhet instead. Later, a troupe was hired to perform at the programme. “I suspect Tonu's murder was a fallout of the incident,” she said. She claimed the sergeant, his wife and the soldier were involved, noting that her daughter was severely beaten before being killed. “She was murdered out of vengeance for not performing at the programme. She had long hair. The killers cut it off.” The first post-mortem examination on Tonu found no evidence that she was raped before being killed and also failed to determine the cause of her death. Her body was exhumed on March 30 on a court order and a second post-mortem examination was performed. CID officials probing Tonu's murder said they were waiting for the second autopsy report. Monowara also questioned the delay in publishing report of the second autopsy. “All information regarding the killing will be found if Sergeant Jahid, his wife and soldier Jahid are interrogated. No one other than army men can carry out such murders in the secure area of the cantonment,” she added. CID interrogated nine persons, including four from Tonu's family on Tuesday.