A court in Dhaka on Wednesday indicted 96 leaders and activists of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir in a case involving violence in Dhaka’s Motijheel area about 11 years ago. Jamaat Ameer (chief) Dr Shafiqul Rahman is among the accused.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Saiful Islam made the decision after accepting police chargesheet against them as he rejected the plea for dropping the case against the suspects. It means the trial has begun formally, and recording testimonies from the witnesses will begin on September 17.
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Shafiqur and the party’s Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar were produced before the court during the hearing of the case on Wednesday.
Other suspects who are on bail were also present during Wednesday’s order. They said they were not guilty and prayed for justice.
Defence lawyers pleaded for excluding the accused from the charges but state counsel Hemayet Uddin Khan opposed it.
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On November 5 in 2012, around 200 to 300 Jamaat-Shibir men allegedly torched and vandalised vehicles to destabilise the country to release their imprisoned leaders and others on Toyenbee Circular Road in Motijheel area.
Later, a case was filed by police with Motijheel Police Station.
Police pressed the chargesheet against 97 Jamaat-Shibir men after investigation. But one died.
Read more: 5000 Jamaat-Shibir activists sued over violence at Shahbagh after Sayeedi’s death