Sohel Chy Murder: 2 prosecution witnesses go ‘hostile’

Two hostile prosecution witnesses of film actor Sohel Chowdhury murder case today testified before a Dhaka tribunal.

Judge Md Zakir Hossain of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-2 of Dhaka recorded the statements of Major (retd) Enamul Hafiz Khan, also the then manager of Trumps Club, and Rowshon Ara Tuli, said the prosecution.

The prosecution declared them hostile and cross-examined them after they started testifying in favour of the defendants.

In his statement, Maj Hafiz said he was at the Trumps Club when Sohel was killed but he knew nothing about those who were involved in the murder.

He, however, had told investigators that several accused, including businessman Aziz Mohammad Bhai and owner of Trumps Club Afakul Islam alias Bunty Islam, were behind the killing.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Sadia Afrin Shilpi told The Daily Star that Maj Hafiz was aware of everything regarding the killing but he spoke in favour of the accused. So, he was declared hostile.

"Another witness Rowshon told investigators that she was the wife of Sohel Chowdhury. But she now claimed that she was a fan of the actor, not wife," the public prosecutor added.

In her statement, Rowshon told the tribunal that she could not say anything about the killing. Moreover, she did not know why she was made a witness in the case.

Among the nine accused, Ashish Rai Choudhury, Tariq Sayeed Mamun and Sanzidul Islam Emon, now behind bars, were produced before the tribunal during yesterday's hearing, while Adnan Siddiqui and Faruque Abbasi were earlier exempted from personal appearance.

Four other accused -- Aziz Mohammad Bhai, Afakul Islam, Selim Khan and Harun-Or-Rashid alias Leather Liton -- are absconding.

The judge yesterday set February 26 for the next hearing.

Earlier, three witnesses, including the complainant, testified.

On December 18, 1998, criminals shot the actor dead at the Trumps Club in Abedin Tower in the capital's Banani.

After an investigation, Detective Branch of police submitted a charge sheet before a Dhaka court on August 2, 1999.

On October 30, 2001, Dhaka's Third Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court framed charges against them.

Two years after framing charges against the accused, the case was transferred to the Speedy Trial Tribunal-2. Following a petition of an accused, the High Court stayed the trial proceedings of the case in 2003. The stay was withdrawn in February last year.