Charges reframed against 5 militants

A Dhaka court yesterday reframed charges against five members of banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) in a case filed over the murder of blogger Oyasiqur Rahman Babu in 2015.

Judge Md Rabiul Alam of Third Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka read out a new charge -- conspiracy to kill blogger Oyasiqur before murder -- against the ABT men in the case.

Earlier, a Dhaka court framed two charges against the five on July 20, 2016.

Three accused --  Zikrullah alias Hasan, Ariful Islam alias Mushfiq and Md Saiful Islam -- are now in jail. Two others -- Akram Hossain Hasib alias Abdullah and Junayed alias Taher -- are on the run.

The court set November 12 for next hearing of the case.

On October 27, the same court withdrew its decision to pronounce judgment of the case against the five accused.

The judge passed the order after assistant Public Prosecutor Md Salahuddin Howlader submitted two petitions -- one for withdrawal of the judgment and the other for reframing charges against the accused in the case.