A lower court in Dhaka on Tuesday indicted Dhaka city unit Bangladesh Nationalist Party joint convener MA Quayum and six others in the case filed over the killing of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella in September last year.
Judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah of Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court passed the order, rejecting discharge petition filed by five of the accused, now in jail.
The court also fixed November 24 for beginning trial in the case.
Besides Qayum, the other indicted accused are Qayum’s brother Abdul Matin, Shohel alias Vangari Shohel, Tamjid Ahmed alias Rubel alias Shooter Rubel, Rasel Chowdhury alias Chakki Rasel, Minhazul Arefin Rasel alias Vagne Rasel and Shakhawat Hossain alias Sharif.
Of the accused, Qayum and Sohel are still in hiding and will face the trial in absentia.
Asked whether they were guilty or not, the five accused who were in the dock pleaded ‘not guilty’ and sought justice to the court.
Arguing for discharge of the detained, defence lawyer Sanaullah Mia submitted that the Rapid Action Battalion investigation, as published in media referring to the RAB director general Benazir Ahmed, found that Tavella killing was as per plan of the banned militant outfit Jammatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh faction chief Sarwar Jahan alias Shaykh Abu Ibrahim Al Hanif who died in Savar after he was caught by RAB on October 8.
The defence lawyer submitted that his clients were innocent and in no way involved in the killing.
Earlier on June 28, Detective Branch of police submitted a charge sheet against seven people in the case filed with Gulshan police station.
According to the charge sheet, BNP leader MA Qayum planned the murder of Tavella as part of a conspiracy to create anarchy, put pressure on the government and send a message to foreigners that they were not safe in Bangladesh.
Cesare Tavella, an aid worker and veterinary surgeon, was shot dead at Road 90, Gulshan 2 on September 28, 2015. He had been living alone in Dhaka and worked on food security issues for a Dutch aid organization.
Source: New Age
