A metropolitan magistrate court in Dhaka on Sunday framed charges against nine accused in a case filed in connection with the attack on the convoy of former United Stets ambassador to Bangladesh, Marcia Bernicat, in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area five years ago.
Magistrate Nurul Huda Chowdhury of the court passed the order and fixed December 6 to begin examining of prosecution witnesses in the case.
Earlier, the Detective Branch of police filed a supplementary charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka against the nine people on September 19 in the case.
Complainant Badiul Alam Majumdar’s brother-in-law Mohammad Ishtiaq Mahmud and Mohammadpur thana Chhatra League president Naimul Hasan alias Russell were named as accused in the charge sheet.
The other accused are Feroz Mahmud, Mir Amjad Hossain, Saju Islam, Rajibul Islam, Shahidul Alam Khan, Siam and Oli Ahmed. They are also activists of the ruling Awami League and the AL-backed student body Chhatra League.
The police found that the attack was carried out after spreading rumours over a dinner hosted by the complainant, Badiul Alam Majumdar, the secretary of SHUJAN, on the occasion of farewell of Bernicat ahead of 2018 general election.
Badiul Alam Majumdar filed the case with Mohammadpur police station on August 10, 2018, over the attack on the convoy of former US envoy Marcia Bernicat.
On January 18, 2021, police submitted a charge sheet to the court accusing nine people and the trial in the case was started on March 28, 2022.
After completion of recording depositions of six out of 19 prosecution witnesses, on December 27, the court sent the case to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Dhaka to take necessary steps for further investigation.
On January 1, the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rezaul Karim Chowdhury ordered a further investigation into the case following a petition.
On August 4, 2018, the nine accused along with some 15 to 20 unidentified people gathered near the Iqbal Road residence of Badiul Alam Majumder and chased the car of Marcia Bernicat, according to the probe report.
The accused then threw brick chips at her car, the probe report said.
Later, the accused vandalised the house of the complainant and made death threats to his wife and son, according to the charge sheet.
New Age
