Court orders further investigation
Court orders further investigation
A Dhaka court today ordered further investigation into the murder of Maj Gen Abul Manzur even though the trial is now at the final stage for pronouncing verdict.
Judge Khondker Hasan Md Firoz of the First Additional District Session and Judge’s Court of Dhaka also directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to submit the probe report by April 22.
Earlier, alleging that there are some flaws in the charge-sheet, the prosecution in the Manzur killing trial sought further investigation into the murder even though the case is now at final stage for pronouncing verdict.
Special Public Prosecutor Asaduzzaman Khan Rochi submitted the petition during the closing arguments this morning.
“While scrutinising the charge sheet, I found some flaws and incompleteness in the probe,” the prosecutor told the court.
Though it is a sensational case, names of some vital witness have been dropped, he added.
The court heard the petition and passed the order on it later in the day.
The prime accused Jatiya Party chief former military dictator HM Ershad and other accused Maj (retd) Kazi Emdadul Haque, Lt Col (retd) Mostafa Kamaluddin Bhuiyan were present before the court today.
The case has seen 22 judges since it was filed on August 28, 1995, and the judges were either promoted or transferred to other districts.
The case filed in 1995 during the then BNP-led government has never got the pace for disposal. The trial began in 1999 when the Awami League-led government was in power.
But it suddenly got pace in July last year after Ershad had refused to extend support to the AL-nominated mayoral candidate in the Gazipur City Corporation election.
At that stage, both the prosecution and the defence placed their arguments.
Hearing of the case resumed in November and on completion of hearing on January 22, the court fixed February 10 for delivering the verdict.
The Dhaka district judge on January 29 transferred Judge Begum Hosne Ara Aktar of the Manzoor murder case to another court replacing Judge Khondker Hasan Md Firoz..
Maj Gen Abul Manzur was killed at Chittagong Cantonment on June 1, 1981, just two days into the assassination of the then president Ziaur Rahman.
Manzur, who was the commander of Sector-8 during the Liberation War, was believed to have carried out an abortive Chittagong coup in which Zia was killed.