Court Correspondent
The Speedy Trial Tribunal-3 of Dhaka on Tuesday fixed Thursday for submission of arguments in the case over the murder of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider Shovon on Thursday. Earlier, Judge Syed Ahmed of the tribunal asked the seven accused whether they are guilty while all of them denied the allegation of the case.
Three of the accused, Nafis Imtiaz, Nayeem Sikder Irad and Ehsan Reza Rumman gave verbal statements before Judge Sayeed Ahmed, They are Faisal Bin Nayeem alias Deep, Maksudul Hassan Anik and Sadman Yasir Mahmud. They submitted written statements. Chief of ‘Ansarullah Bangla Team’ Mufti Jasim Uddin Rahmani made both verbal and written statements to the court. All the seven accused told the court that they would not produce defence witness to the court.
Accused Redwanul Azad Rana is still on the run. Public Prosecutor (PP) Mahbubur Rahman told newsmen that the depositions of the witnesses on behalf of the prosecution ended on Monday.
The judge recorded the statements of 35 witnesses out of a total of 55. “The judge has said he’ll try to deliver the verdict in the case within this month” the PP added.
Blogger Rajib Haider, who was a Ganajagaran Mancha activist and an architect by profession, was stabbed to death on Feb 15, 2013 near his house at Mirpur Palash Nagar in the capital.
The special court framed charges against the eight accused on Mar 18 this year and again on May 21 as the first one was found to be faulty. Earlier, on May 11, Judge Ruhul Amin of the Fourth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court shifted the case to the Speedy Trial Tribunal.
On January 29, 2014, DB Inspector and also the Investigation Officer of the case, Nibaron Chandra Bormon submitted the charge sheet of the case to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka against the eight accused.
North South University’s former students Faisal Bin Nayem alias Deep, 22, Maksudul Hasan Anik, 26, Ehsanur Reza Rumman, 23, Md Naem Sikder alias Irad, 19, Nafir Imtiaj, 22, Sadman Yasir Mahmud, 20, and Edwanul Azad Rana, 30. The other accused is Ansarullah Bangla Team chief Saikhul Hadith Mufti Jasim Uddin Rahmani.
