Khaled Ahmed, Pabna: Serious discrepancies have emerged between the police investigation and the autopsy findings into the death of Jahid Hasan, a young man whose body was recovered from the Baral River three days after he went missing while visiting his in-laws’ home in Pabna.Jahid went missing at around 7:30pm on March 20. Three days later, on March 23, his body was recovered from the southern bank of the Baral River near the Silanda Bazar ghat under Santhia police station.His family alleges that Jahid had been reluctant to visit his in-laws’ home. However, his wife, Salma Khatun, and her mother allegedly persuaded him to go with them, saying that he needed medical treatment. His body was later found in the river.The most significant question surrounding the case concerns the cause and manner of Jahid’s death.According to his family, the initial police investigation treated the incident as a case of suicide. The forensic examination, however, reportedly reached a different conclusion.The autopsy report states that Jahid died from a lack of oxygen caused by pressure applied to his neck. The forensic opinion reportedly classified the manner of death as “homicidal,” meaning death caused by another person.The autopsy also reportedly found a ligature mark completely encircling Jahid’s neck, an important finding that raises questions about the circumstances of his death.However, the inquest report prepared by Sub-Inspector Md Ainul Haque of the Nagarbari River Police Outpost reportedly stated that no injury marks were found on Jahid’s body.This apparent contradiction has raised several questions. If the post-mortem examination later identified a significant mark around the neck and evidence consistent with asphyxia, why were such findings not recorded in the inquest report? And on what basis was the initial conclusion of suicide reached?Jahid’s family has also raised questions about statements allegedly made by his wife, Salma Khatun.According to the family, Salma at different times described Jahid as mentally unstable. However, in a petition filed before a court, she allegedly referred to Jahid as having been killed over previous enmity and his body being thrown into the river.The differing accounts have further deepened the uncertainty surrounding the case.On March 23, Jahid’s father, Kazem Ali, approached the police seeking a proper investigation into his son’s unnatural death. Later, on April 9, he filed a murder case against Salma Khatun and three others before the Senior Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Pabna.The family is now demanding an impartial investigation into the autopsy findings, the inquest report and Jahid’s movements in the period immediately preceding his disappearance.They have also called for the role of the relevant investigating officer to be examined and, if necessary, for the case to be reinvestigated by another agency or officer.The central question remains unanswered: Did Jahid take his own life, or was he killed and his body dumped in the Baral River?The autopsy’s reported finding of a homicidal death, together with the discrepancies between the forensic findings and the initial police investigation, has intensified the demand for a transparent and impartial investigation.Jahid’s family has urged authorities to arrest and interrogate Salma Khatun and the other accused named in the case and take all necessary steps to uncover the actual circumstances behind his death.As the conflicting findings continue to raise questions, the family says they want only one thing—the truth about what happened to Jahid Hasan.