A Dhaka court on Monday fixed July 14 for recording depositions of witnesses in the sensational Bishwajit Das murder case. Acting Judge Dewan Md Shafiullah of Speedy Trial Tribunal 4 passed the order.
Sub-Inspector Md Jalal Uddin of Sutrapur police station, also complainant of the case, will give deposition on the day. Meanwhile, a defence lawyer Abdul Quddus Biplab filed a bail petition with the court seeking bail for Gulam Mostafa, an accused in the case and now in jail.
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, were produced before the tribunal.
After hearing the petition, the court rejected the bail plea.
On June 30, the case was sent to the Speedy Trial Tribunal 4 of Dhaka from the Metropolitan Sessions’ Judge’s Court in Dhaka as per the home ministry’s decision for quick disposal of the case.
On June 2, Dhaka metropolitan session’s judge Md Jahrul Haque framed charges against 21 activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League of Jagannath University unit for their alleged involvement in the killing.
Of the 21, Shakil, Nahid, Shaon and Emdad gave statements before magistrate to whom they named the others involved in the attack on Bishwajit.
Thirteen accused are absconding. One of them namely Mostafa was arrested on May 27 from Manikganj.
Bishwajit was hacked to death on December 9 last year by the BCL activists near Bahadur Shah Park outside the court area in Old Dhaka.
The 24-year-old tailor had been mercilessely chopped and beaten with iron rods and sticks for half an hour by the ruling party men in the presence of police.
The incident was widely covered by the media and the killers were clearly identified through photographs and video footage.