Ananta Bijoy murder case: Brother-in-law’s witness statement recorded in Sylhet court

A Sylhet court today recorded the witness statement of brother-in-law of science writer and blogger Ananta Bijoy Das in the case filed over his murder.

Ananta Bijoy Das. File photo

With this, testimonies of 19 witnesses out of 29 have been recorded.

Advocate Somor Bijoy Shee, brother-in-law of the slain blogger, made his witness statement to the Anti-terrorism Special Tribunal of Sylhet, said Shahidul Islam Shahin, lawyer of the plaintiff.

Two accused -- Abul Khaer Rashid Ahmed and Shafiur Rahman Farabi -- also appeared before the tribunal.

After the witnesses' deposition, Judge Md Nurul Amin Biplob of the tribunal set March 23 as next date for the case, when more witness depositions will be recorded.

Ananta was brutally hacked to death on May 12, 2015 by a group of youths in Subidbazar area near his residence in Sylhet when he was on his way to work with his sister.

Banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) claimed responsibility for the murder.

Ananta's brother Ratneswar Das filed a murder case accusing some unnamed persons with the Airport Police Station the next day, and the investigation was later handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

On October 18 in 2016, Arman Ali, inspector of CID and investigation officer of the case, pressed a charge sheet but the court rejected the charge sheet and ordered CID to reinvestigate the case and file a supplementary charge sheet, which was later filed on May 9 last year.

The accused in the charge sheet are: Shafiur Rahman Farabi, Mannan Yahya alias Mannan Rahi, Abul Khaer Rashid Ahmed, Abul Hossain alias Abul Hussain, Harunur Rashid and Faisal Ahmed.

Among them, Farabi and Abul Khaer are now in jail while Mannan Yahya, the only one among them who confessed before the court, died on November 2 in 2017 after he fell ill at Dhaka Central Jail.

The other three accused are on the run.