A Dhaka court yesterday indicted Awami League MP Pinu Khan’s son Bakhtiar Alam Rony, who in a drunken stupor opened fire from his SUV that killed two persons on New Eskaton Road of the capital last year.
Judge Shamsunnahar Begum of the Dhaka’s Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court framed the charges against Rony under section 302 of the Penal Code. It also set April 11 to start trial in the case, filed by the mother of one of the two victims.
The prosecution read out the charges and asked Rony whether he was guilty or not. Rony, brought to the court on a wheelchair due to spinal cord complications, claimed himself innocent and prayed for justice.
During hearing on the discharge petition, Rony’s counsel Kazi Nozibullah Hiru told the court that the accused had been implicated in the case as part of a conspiracy. He also claimed that Rony had not been present on the car and that the bullets found in the victims’ bodies were not shot from Rony’s pistol.
Demanding that the accused be discharged from the case, the counsel said that since Rony was drunk at the time, he should not be charged under section 302 of the Penal Code. Punishment for murder under the section is death penalty.
The ballistic report, however, shows that the bullets were from Rony’s pistol, the licence of which was later revoked by the authorities. Police’s Detective Branch investigated the incident that took place on the eve of Pohela Boishakh last year. The charge sheet names Rony as the lone accused.
On the other hand, additional public prosecutor SM Zahid Sarder prayed to the court to frame charges against the accused since the allegations brought against him were preliminarily found to be true.
After the hearing, the court rejected the discharge petition.
Rony, who was in a drunken stupor, opened fire from his car indiscriminately near Dilu Road leaving two people — rickshaw-puller Abdul Hakim and an auto-rickshaw driver Yakub — injured around 1:45am on April 14. Hakim succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on April 15 while Yakub died on April 23.
Hakim’s mother Monowara Begum filed the murder case with Ramna police on April 15.
On July 21, DB Sub-Inspector Dipak Kumar Das, also investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the court. The charges were accepted on August 13.
Yakub’s wife Salma Begum, 45, was present at the court during yesterday’s hearing.
After the indictment order, she cried out loud demanding justice for her husband. She told reporters that if she did not get justice, she would commit suicide on the court premises.
Plaintiff Monowara was not present at the court.
Rony was arrested on May 30 based on information given by his driver Imran Fakir and placed on police remand for 10 days in three phases.
Rony’s three friends – Kamal Mahmood, Md Jahangir and Tiger Kamal who were inside the SUV at the time of the incident – and driver Imran gave judicial statements before the court.
The trio told the court Rony he had been under the influence of alcohol when they were going to Dhanmondi from Moghbazar around 1:45am. They said that Rony was annoyed with traffic jam on the road and fired five shots from the car.