Next date of Jail Killing Case hearing fixed Feb 15

The Metropolitan Sessions Court in the city yesterday fixed February 15 as the next date for hearing of the Jail Killing Case which came up for trial after long 23 years of the brutal incident, reports UNB.

Five out of the eight arrested accused were produced before the newly-constituted court in the afternoon. They are: Lt Col (retd) Syed Farook Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriyar Rashid Khan, Major (retd) Khairuzzaman, Major (retd) Bazlul Huda and former state minister for information Taheruddin Thakur.

Three others, who could not be produced before the court due to their sickness, are K M Obaidur Rahman MP, Shah Moazzem Hossain and Nurul Islam Manzur. All three are undergoing treatment at the Bangabandhu Medical University (PG) Hospital.

Defence counsels moved bail petitions for the respective accused, which were subsequently rejected by Judge Sheikh Rezwan Ali, Newly-appointed public prosecutor of the Metropolitan Sessions Court Qamrul Islam opposed the bail prayers.

The judge, however, directed the authorities concerned to allow relatives of the accused to meet them in jail upon prayers of the accused.

A total of 21 people, including four former state ministers, were charged with killing former acting president Syed Nazrul Islam, former prime ministers Tajuddin Ahmed and M Monsur Ali, and former minister A H M Quamruzzaman - the top aides of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - inside the Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975.