Monirul Islam, Additional Commissioner and chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), revealed as much while talking to reporters at DMP Media Centre on Tuesday. 

Publisher Dipan, son of Prof Abul Kashem Fazlul Huq of Dhaka University, was hacked to death in his office on the second floor of Aziz Supermarket at Shahbagh in the city on October 31 in 2015.

The eight accused are ––Moinul  Hasan Shamim, 24, organizational names Sifat alias Samir alias Imran, Md Abdus Sabur,23, organizational name Abdus Samad alias Sujan alias Raju alais Sad, Khairul Islam, 24, organizational name Jamil alias Rifat alias Fahim alias Jisan, Md Abu Siddique Sohel, 34, organizational name Sakib alias Sajid alias Shahab, Mozammel Hossain alias Saimon, 25. , organizational name Shashriar, Md Sheikh Abdullah, 27, organizational name Jubayer alias Jayed alias Javed, Sayed Ziaul Hoque, a dismissed major of Bangladesh army,  ORGANISATIONAL NAME Sagar alias Istikhakh, alias Boro bhai and Akram Hossain alias Hasib, 28, organizational name Abir alias Adnan alias Abdullah.

The CTTC Chief said among the eight accused in the chargesheet, six have been  languishing in jail, while two other accused-- Sayed Ziaul Hoque and Akram Hossain-- have been have been absconding since the killing incident.

A case was filed with Shahbagh Police Station in connection with the incident the following day. Later, the case was transferred to DB on November 3.  DB Inspector Fazlul Haque has been investigating the case.

The CTTC unit chief Monirul Islam said the army’s dismissed Major Sayed Ziaul Hoque was the main planner of the killing.

He said it needs many days for investigation into the case as it was a clueless one. Main motive behind the killing was to prevent publishing of books that hit religious sentiment of the people, he added.

As the case was filed under Terrorism Control Act, it needs prior approval from the Home Ministry before submitting to the court.