Time Digital Report: A Dhaka court today framed charges against seven people, including BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed in a murder case filed in connection with an arson attack that left a policeman dead in 2015.
According to the case, police constable Shamim Mia, 28, suffered injuries to his head while trying to escape a petrol bomb attack on a police bus near Matsya Bhaban in Dhaka on January 17 of 2015. The attack left at least 13 police personnel injured.
After battling for life for 19 days, Shamim died of his injuries at Square Hospital in the capital on February 5 that year.
The other accused in the case are BNP Joint Secretary General Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel, the then New Market thana unit BNP president Abdus Sattar, its two members Mohammad Alfaz and Shah Alam, Dhaka College unit former JCD president Anwar Hossain alias Tipu, and Gausia Market unit BNP member Mohammad Rafiq Akand.
Of them, Rizvi, Sohel, Abdus Sattar, Alfaz, Shah Alam and Rafiq are now on bail while Tipu is on the run.
Rizvi, Sohel and four others, who are on bail, pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after Judge (in-charge) of Dhaka's Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court-4 read out the charges to them.
Charges were framed against Tipu in his absence and an arrest warrant was issued against him. Before that, the judge dismissed the petitions submitted for discharging them from the charges of the case.
The judge later set September 13 for starting trial of the case.
On June 4 of 2015, Sub-Inspector Dipak Kumar Das of Detective Branch (DB) of police, also investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Dhaka, showing 23 people as prosecution witnesses.
The IO also dropped names of 26 BNP leaders and activists, including MK Anwar from the charge sheet in the case.
Following the case, police filed a case against 31 BNP leaders and activists, including MK Anwar and Rizvi for the arson attack.
