Trial of blogger Oyasiqur's murder starts, three witnesses testify

A witness has identified in court the two arrested militants caught by locals after the killing of blogger Oyasiqur Rahman Babu in Dhaka's Begunbarhi.

Court Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 26 Oct 2016, 07:06 PM
Updated : 26 Oct 2016, 07:06 PM

The recording of witnesses' statements in the case started in the court of Dhaka's Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge SM Ziaur Rahman on Wednesday after several deferments.

Local shopkeepers Monirul Islam and Tapan Kumar Sheel, and passerby Abu Yusuf testified on the first day.

Accused Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) members Ariful Islam, Zikrullah and Saiful Islam were produced before the court. ABT members 'Zunaid' alias 'Taher' and 'Hasib' alias Abdullah are absconding.

The five were indicted on July 20 for the hacking murder of Babu, who wrote on social media against religious extremism, on Mar 30 last year.

Locals caught Ariful and Zikrullah red-handed. Saiful, arrested with sharp weapons some days before the attack, was later shown arrested in the case for allegedly masterminding the attack.

The third witness, Yusuf, said he was having tea at a shop near the attack site when it was carried out.

"When I reached the spot hearing people shouting, I saw a person lying in a pool of blood while the public were holding two others," he told the court.

He then identified Zikrullah and Ariful at the dock.

Shopkeeper Monirul said he also saw two machetes next to Oyasiqur's bloodstained body.

"The locals put him in a police vehicle. Later I heard he died and the locals caught two and handed them over to police," he said.

The other shopkeeper, Sheel, also gave a similar statement, the court's clerk Shahadat Hossain told bdnews24.com.

The three witnesses were not interrogated on the day. The investigating officer has named 40 witnesses in the chargesheet.

The court fixed Nov 8 as the next day to record witnesses' statement.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Salauddin Hawlader told the court that Oyasiqur's brother-in-law Md AMonir Hossain Masud, who filed the case over the murder, 'could not be found'.

He said Masud did not respond to summons and arrest warrant sent for him to Lakshmipur district. "Police also failed to trace him," he said.