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Published : 27 Apr 2025, 02:31 PM
BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and four others have been acquitted in a case filed under the Special Powers Act during the 2018 student protests demanding safer roads.
Dhaka’s Special Tribunal-14 Judge Md Jannatul Ferdous Ibn Haque delivered the verdict on Sunday, noting the charges against the accused were "not proven".
The others acquitted are Milhanur Rahman Naomi, Md Rafiqul Islam Nayon, Habibur Rahman Habib, and Robiul Islam Robi.
Amir Khosru was represented in court by lawyer Syed Zainul Abedin Mezbah.
The case stemmed from protests following a road accident on Jul 29, 2018, that killed two students from Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment School and College -- Diya Khanam Mim and Abdul Karim Rajib -- in Dhaka.
In the wake of the incident, students from schools and colleges across the city took to the streets, demanding safer roads.
During the protests, a phone conversation allegedly involving Amir Khosru circulated on social media, leading to accusations that he was “conspiring against the state”.
On Aug 5, 2018, Md Shamim Ahmed, then a sub-inspector of the Detective Branch’s Pallabi Zonal Team, filed a case at Shahbagh Police Station.
The case named Amir Khosru, Milhanur, and 400–500 unnamed people as suspects.
It alleged that they used electronic devices to incite and fuel the student protests.
Following an investigation, Detective Branch Inspector Md Anisur Rahman submitted a chargesheet against five people, including Amir Khosru, on Jan 25, 2020.
The court framed charges against them on Jan 19, 2022, and ordered the trial to begin.
In the changed political environment after the July Uprising, the court ultimately acquitted all five accused.
