Court accepts charges against 16 accused
A Feni court yesterday took cognisance of charges brought against 16 accused in the case filed over murder of Nusrat Jahan Rafi.
After scrutinising case dockets and other documents, Judge Mamunur Rashid of the Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal set June 20 for hearing on charge framing against the accused.
As complainant Mahmudul Hasan Noman was present at the tribunal and consented to accepting the charge sheet, the tribunal took cognisance of the charges, reports a correspondent in Feni.
All 21 accused were produced before the tribunal during yesterday’s hearing.
The tribunal relieved five accused as no evidence of their involvement was found.
It also rejected bail petitions of six charge-sheeted accused.
Defense lawyers claimed the investigation was biased and politically motivated.
“We are satisfied with the PBI investigation. The home minister supervised the case,” Mahmudul told journalists on court premises after the hearing.
He demanded immediate arrest of former Officer-in-Charge of Sonagazi Model Police Station Moazzem Hossain.
On May 29, Police Bureau of Investigation pressed charges against mastermind of the case, Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa Principal Siraj Ud Doula, and 15 other accused with a Feni court.
Other charge-sheeted accused are: Siraj’s associates Nuruddin and Shahadat Hossain Shamim; Sonagazi Municipality councillor and local AL leader Maksud Alam; Sonagazi upazila AL president Ruhul Amin; madrasa teachers Hafez Abdul Kader and Afsar Uddin; Kamrunnahar Moni; Jabed Hossain alias Shakhawat Hossain; Saifur Rahman Mohammad Jubayer; Umme Sultana Poppy; Mohiuddin Shakil; Mohammad Shamim; Iftekhar Uddin Rana; Imran Hossain Mamun; and Abdur Rahim Sharif.
Twelve of the accused have already given confessional statements before a magistrate. Ninety-two witnesses have been included in the 772-page charge sheet.
Siraj plotted to murder Nusrat by setting her on fire as she refused to withdraw a case filed against him over sexual assault on March 27.
On April 6, she was set on fire at the rooftop of a madrasa building minutes before an Alim examination, by five of the accused, according to the charge sheet.
After fighting for her life for five days, Nusrat succumbed to her injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on April 10, triggering a national outrage.
QUADER OPTIMISTIC OF OC MOAZZEM’S ARREST
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday expressed optimism that former Sonagazi OC Moazzem Hossain will be arrested soon.
“It is a little difficult to arrest someone when they go into hiding. However, there is no lack of effort to arrest him,” he told reporters during a briefing at his ministry.
Moazzem was attached to the office of Rangpur range DIG after he was suspended on May 8 on charges of violating departmental discipline, tarnishing the image of police and behaving inappropriately in connection to the murder of Nusrat. He joined Rangpur Police Line in mid-May.
A tribunal in Dhaka on May 27 issued an arrest warrant against him on charges of recording a statement of Nusrat on a mobile camera without her consent and circulating the video clip on social media.
On May 29, Moazzem filed a petition with the High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the case. He left his workplace the same day, saying Police Headquarters called him, and since then he cannot be traced.
They court is expected to hear the petition today, Supreme Court lawyer Sayedul Haque Sumon, who filed the case with cyber tribunal, told this newspaper yesterday.
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