Murder charges framed against ex-Jamaat MP Shahjahan, 41 others

A Chittagong court yesterday issued warrant of arrest against former Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Shahjahan Chowdhury after framing charges against him and 41 others in connection with a murder case.
Third Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Paresh Chandra Sharma pressed the charges against 42 persons for killing freedom fighter and then chairman of Eochia Union Parishad of Satkania upazila, Nurul Kabir, in 1998.
The court issued warrants of arrest against 25 accused including Shahjahan Chowdhury while 17 of the accused were present in the court. Of the 17, Dr Nurul Hoque, convenor of Satkania unit of Jamaat-e-Islami, Shamsul Alam and Md Ishak were in jail custody.
Armed cadres of Jamaat and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir reportedly shot Nurul Kabir dead in broad daylight on October 8 in 1998 at Satkania.
Nurul Kabir's younger brother Shab Uddin filed a murder case against the 42 leaders and cadres of Jamaat and Shibir including the then Jamaat lawmaker Shahjahan with Satkania Police Station the same day.
Shahjahan obtained bail in the case on February 16 last year and has not since appeared before the court during hearing.
The court fixed 12 dates for framing charges in the case between March 30, 2006 and August 22 this year but the charges could not be pressed as Shahjahan remained absent making excuses.
Sources said Shahjahan did not attend hearing when he was an MP on grounds that he was busy in parliamentary sessions.
Following expiry of the tenure of the last parliament Shahjahan again sought time saying he had been undergoing treatment at Islami Foundation Hospital in Dhaka. He even sought time on the last day of hearing for framing charges on August 22 this year, saying he was ill.
The court fixed October 2 for hearing.