The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Bangladesh failed to submit a chargesheet despite taking 173 extensions over 20 years in the civilian murder case filed at Chattogram Kotwali Police Station following the 1981 assassination of President Ziaur Rahman. While a military court swiftly tried and executed 13 army officers for their involvement, the civilian case lingered until a final report was filed in 2001, effectively closing the case without any trial. The issue resurfaced after the recent arrest of fugitive accused Major (Retd.) Mozzafar Hossain, one of the original suspects.

According to case records, an inter-agency coordination meeting in June 1981 decided that if the army conducted its own investigation, the police probe would not proceed. As a result, the civilian investigation was sidelined, and the CID later cited lack of witnesses and evidence. Prosecutors now seek to recover the missing case files to determine accountability and explore whether a new legal process can begin.

Uncertainties remain about the whereabouts of evidence, the identities of investigating officers, and the unpublished judicial inquiry report into the security failure at Chattogram Circuit House.