Depositions of prosecution witnesses in the Biswajit Das murder case was yet again deferred on Thursday till July 14, as the Ministry of Law is yet to pass an order to transfer the case to the Speedy Trial Tribunal.
Metropolitan Session’s Judge Md Jahrul Haque, deferred the date after hearing the plea of public prosecutor of Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court Md Abdullah Abu.
Earlier on June 2, the same court had framed charges against the 21 Bangladesh Chhatra League activists of Jagannath University unit, who allegedly involved in the killing. It had also set the date for recording the depositional statements of the prosecution witnesses.
Plaintiff of the case, Sub-Inspector Jalal uddin and recording officer Sub-Inspector Arafatul Haque of Sutrapur police station were present as witnesses.
Eight of the accused, Mahfuzur Rahman Nahid, AHM Kibria, Quiyum Miah Tipu, GM Rasheduzzaman Shaon, Saiful Islam, Emdadul Haque Emdad, Golam Mustafa and Mohammad Rafiqul Islam alias Shakil, are already behind the bars.
Of the 21 accused, Shakil, Nahid, Shaon and Emdad gave statements in the presence of magistrates, where they named the others involved in the attack. 13 accused have absconded but one of them namely Mostafa was arrested on May 27 from Manikgonj.
The investigators named 60 people, including two metropolitan magistrates Shahriar Mahmud Adnan and Earfun Ullah, a number of police officials and several local small traders as prosecution witnesses.
Biswajit, a 24-year-old tailor, was hacked to death on December 9 last year, by the BCL activists near Bahadur Shah Park in the court area in Old Dhaka soon after pro-opposition lawyers brought out a procession in support of a countrywide shutdown.
He was brutally hacked and beaten up for half an hour, in the presence of police, by the ruling party men, who mistook him for a pro-opposition activist.
The incident was widely covered by the media and the killers were clearly identified through photographs and video footage. It raised an outcry over the credibility of the law enforcers in containing crimes committed by activists of the ruling party.
Sub-Inspector Jalal Uddin of Sutrapur police station filed a murder case on the same day.
The court also discharged four of the accused- Mamun-or-Rashid, Faruque Hossain, Moslehuddin alias Moslem and Kazi Nahiduzzaman Tuhin.
On March 5, DB Inspector and investigation officer of the case Tajul Islam submitted charge sheet before the court.
On April 4, the metropolitan magistrate took into cognizance the charge sheet and issued arrest warrants against fugitives.
The magistrate rejected a further investigation petition against the probe report and ordered to the officers-in-charge of respective police stations to submit reports on execution of arrest warrants April 17.