DHAKA, Feb 15, 2021 (BSS) – A Dhaka court is set to pronounce the judgment
in a case lodged over murder of blogger and writer Avijit Roy tomorrow.
Judge Mujibur Rahman of the Special Anti-Terrorism Tribunal on February 4
set tomorrow (February 16) to pass its judgement as both the prosecution and
defence concluded their arguments in the case on that day.
Twenty-eight prosecution witnesses out of the total 34 have been testified
in the case and were cross-examined on different hearing dates.
“We’ve been able to prove the case against six accused beyond any
reasonable doubt and we believe the court would sentence them to death,”
prosecutor Golam Sarwar Zakir told BSS.
Defence counsel Nazrul Islam, however, said the accused would get
acquitted.
Avijit Roy was hacked by a group of militants near Suhrawardy Udyan in the
TSC area of Dhaka University around 9.30 pm on February 26, 2015. He was
rushed to Dhaka Medical College (DMC) Hospital where he succumbed to his
injuries at about 10.30pm.
On February 27, Avijit’s father, noted educationist Ajoy Roy, filed a
murder case with Shahbagh Police Station.
On March 13, 2019, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sarafuzzaman Ansari filed
the charge-sheet implicating six persons. On April 11, 2019, Dhaka Special
Anti-Terrorism Tribunal Judge Mujibur Rahman accepted the charge-sheet
against the six accused.
The judge of the Special Anti-Terrorism Tribunal, Dhaka On August 1 ordered
to start the trial by framing charges against the accused. The accused are
Major (sacked) Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque alias Zia, Mozammel Hussain alias
Simon, Abu Siddique Sohail alias Shakib alias Sajid alias Shahab, Akram
Hossain alias Abir, Md. Arafat Rahman and Shafiur Rahman Farabi.
All accused are leaders and activists of banned militant outfit Ansarullah
Bangla Team (ABT). Major Zia and Akram Hossain remained fugitive since the
murder.