A Jamalpur court has assigned the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to take over the probe into the killing of journalist Golam Rabbani Nadim, granting the complainant’s “no-confidence” (naraji) petitions against earlier investigation reports.

Judge Rozina Ahmed of the Bakshiganj Amli Court issued the order at the Jamalpur Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court on Thursday (23 October), according to lawyers for the plaintiff. PBI is the specialized criminal-investigation arm of Bangladesh Police. 

Plaintiff’s counsel Advocate Saim Hossain said Nadim, a Jamalpur district correspondent for Banglanews24, was attacked on 14 June 2023 while returning home from work. He died the next day while under treatment. 

On 17 June 2023, Nadim’s wife Monira Begum filed a murder case with Bakshiganj Police Station, naming Sadhurpara Union Parishad chairman Mahmudul Alam Babu and 21 others, and accusing a further 20–25 unidentified people. 

Independent rights groups and Bangladeshi media widely identified Babu as the prime suspect in the case. 

According to the plaintiff’s side, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted its report on 27 August 2024, keeping nine accused including Babu, and dropping 27 others, among them Babu’s son Rifat. 

After the complainant filed a naraji petition, the court tasked Rapid Action Battalion-14 with a further inquiry; on 31 August this year, RAB-14 filed a similar report. 

Following a second naraji petition on 21 September, the court on Thursday transferred the investigation to PBI. RAB is an elite police unit; PBI is a specialist investigative agency under Bangladesh Police. 

The plaintiff and their counsel said they expect PBI to conduct a thorough investigation and submit its findings promptly. 

SMS/