Kibria murder trial begins

A Sylhet court today started trial in former finance minister SAMS Kibria murder case and fixed September 29 for recording testimony of the plaintiffs.

Judge Makbul Ahsan of Sylhet Speedy Trial Tribunal began the trial with a short hearing, our Moulvibazar correspondent reports quoting Kishore Kumar Dhar, public prosecutor of the tribunal.

On September 13, the court framed charges against BNP leaders Lutfozzaman Babar and Harris Chowdhury and 30 others in the case and fixed today for fixing the date.

Among the 32 accused, 22 including Babar and suspended Sylhet city mayor Ariful Haq Chowdhury were produced before the court during today’s hearing.

Of them, 14 are in prison. They include Babar, state minister for home affairs during the last BNP-led government, and Mufti Abdul Hannan, leader of banned Islamist militant outfit Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji).

Eight accused are on bail, while 10 others, including Harris, political secretary of the then prime minister Khaleda Zia, have been absconding.

The then opposition lawmaker and Awami League leader SAMS Kibria and four others, including his nephew Shah Manzur Huda and local AL leader Abdur Rahim, were killed in a grenade attack on a rally in Habiganj on January 27, 2005.

The incident has been probed three times and the investigators have pressed charges thrice against 32 people, including Babar and Harris.

The case proceedings were delayed further, as the court deferred the charge framing nine times due to illness of one of the accused, suspended Sylhet city mayor Ariful, who is now in jail.