A Dhaka court, on Sunday, indicted 21 activists of the Jagannath University (JnU) unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) in connection with the murder of Biswajit Das. The court also set June 13 to start the trial. All charges against the 21 BCL men were framed at the court of Dhaka
metropolitan sessions judge Mohammad Zahirul Haque.The BCL men had allegedly stabbed to death Biswajit Das, 24, proprietor of Amantron Tailors, in the Shakharibazar area of Sutrapur, during a road blockade programme enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, on December 9, 2012.
Mahbubul Alam, a sub-inspector of Sutrapur Police Station, had filed a murder case against 21 people after on the same night.
Detective Police inspector Tajul Islam, investigating officer in the case, filed charges against 21 activists of the Chhatra League, student wing of the ruling Awami League, on March 5 this year.
Of the Chhatra League activists, seven are in jail, while the rest are absconding.
Earlier, on May 19, justice Zahirul Haque took cognizance of the charges against the activists and set May 26 for framing charges. However, it was again deferred to June 2. The court framed the charges against 14 accused BCL men in absentia, as they went into hiding after the murder case was filed against them.
Seven of the eight arrested — Rafiqul Islam Shakil, Mahfuzur Rahman Nahid, Emdadul Haque, Rasheduzzaman Shawon, HM Kibria, Saiful Islam and Quayum Mia Tipu — were produced in the court before indictment.
They pleaded not guilty and demanded justice on Sunday after judge Md Zahirul Haque read out the charges to them.
All of them sought bail and pleaded innocence, but justice Zahirul Haque quashed their plea and fixed June 13 as the start of the trial.
The last person to be arrested in the case, Jagannath University Masters student Golam Mostafa, was not produced before the court on Sunday. He was arrested from Manikganj on May 26.
The eight fugitives are Rajan Talukdar, Yunus Ali, Obaidur Quader Tahsin, Azizur Rahman, Alauddin, Imran Hossain, Mir Nur-e Alam Limon, Al-Amin, Rafique, Quamrul, Tomal, Pavel and Mosharraf.
Inspector Tajul Islam said the four of the arrested BCL activists have confessed to their involvement in the killing before the court.
The investigating officer named 60 witnesses in the case.
-With The Independent input
