Father of slain blogger Avijit Roy appears in court to give testimony

Professor Ajoy Roy, the father of the slain writer-blogger Avijit Roy, has appeared in court to give testimony in the case he started over the murder of his son in 2015.

Court Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 28 Oct 2019, 10:25 AM
Updated : 28 Oct 2019, 10:25 AM

“The professor, along with his younger son Anujhit Roy, arrived at the Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal on Monday,” Assistant Public Prosecutor Mohammad Golam Sarwar Khan Zakir told bdnews24.com.

In the absence of Judge Md Mojibur Rahman, Judge Jesmin Ara Begum of Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 is set to hear the testimony.

The statement by Prof Ajoy will be recorded there, according to the state counsel.

Avijit was attacked near the Dhaka University TSC intersection on Feb 26, 2015 as he was returning from the Ekushey Book Fair with his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya, who was also injured in the assault.

Prof Ajoy filed the case with Shahbagh Police Station soon after the murder of his son.

The Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal started the trial by indicting sacked army officer Syed Ziaul Haq, “extremist” blogger Safiur Rahman Farabi, and four suspected members of Islamist militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team in the case on Aug 1 this year.

State counsel Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has named 34 witnesses in that case. Usually, the recording of witness deposition starts with the testimony of the plaintiff, which the judge set for Sept 11, but Prof Ajoy skipped the hearing.

He again missed the hearing on Oct 6 when two other witnesses came but could not testify because the four arrested accused could not be brought from jail for “security reasons”.

Judge Md Mojibur Rahman then set Oct 28 to start the recording of witness statements but the retired physics teacher of Dhaka University expressed his unwillingness to appear in court.

 “It’s impossible for me to testify for justice for my murdered son,” Prof Ajoy had told bdnews24.com.

“I will not be able to bear the pains of giving testimony.”

The six suspects in the case are Major Syed Ziaul Haq alias Zia, Safiur Rahman Farabi, Md Mozzammel Hussain alias Saimon alias Shahriar, Md Abu Siddiq Sohel alias Sakib alias Sajid alias Shahab, Md Arafat Rahman and Akram Hossain alias Abir. Of them, Zia and Farabi are on the run.