A Dhaka court on Tuesday fixed Wednesday for the defence hearing in the case filed over the rape and brutal murder of the seven-year-old minor girl in the capital’s Pallabi area.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Children Violence Repression Tribunal fixed the date for the self-defense hearing after completing the recording of depositions from 16 out of 18 charge-sheeted witnesses.
Judge Masrur Salekin recorded the statements of 16 witnesses, including the victim’s father, Abdul Hannan Mollah, and mother, Parveen Akhter. Following their depositions, the state-appointed defense counsel, Musa Kalimullah, cross-examined the witnesses.
With the conclusion of the cross-examinations, the tribunal formally wrapped up the testimony phase of the trial, confirmed Pankaj Peter Gomez, the bench assistant of the court.
Earlier in the morning, around 8:45 AM, the prime accused, Sohel Rana, was brought to the court premises from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, while his co-accused wife, Shopna Akhter, was produced from Kashimpur Jail.
They were initially kept in the lockup of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court and were later produced in the dock before the formal commencement of the tribunal proceedings.
According to the case statement, the victim was raped and subsequently murdered by having her throat slit in the Mirpur-Pallabi area of the capital.
