Two more witnesses have testified before a Dhaka court in the case filed over the attack on convoy of former US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat in the capital’s Mohammadpur area.
On Sunday, the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Nazmin Akter recorded the depositions of the witnesses. With this, nine out of 28 witnesses have testified in the case so far, according to Touhid Khan, the court’s bench assistant.
The witnesses who testified on Sunday are ASI Grish Chandra Barman and Ajmal Hossain.
The accused, who are currently out on bail, were present in court during the proceedings. Following their depositions, the witnesses were cross-examined by the defence lawyer, Gazi Faisal Islam. After the cross-examination, the court fixed 14 October for next hearing.
The accused in the case include Naimul Hasan, president of Mohammadpur Thana Chhatra League, Mohammad Ishtiaq Mahmud, Firoz Mahmud, Mir Amjad Hossain, Saju Islam, Rajibul Islam, Shahidul Alam Khan, Siam, and Oli Ahmed.
The case was originally filed by Badiul Alam Majumdar at Mohammadpur Police Station on the night of 10 August 2018, following the attack on Marcia Bernicat’s convoy. On 18 January 2021, the investigating officer, Md Abdur Rouf, submitted a charge sheet to the court, naming 19 witnesses.
Testimonies for the case began on 28 March 2022, and by 4 December of that year, six witnesses had completed their depositions. During their statements, Badiul Alam Majumdar, Khushi Begum, and Mahbubul Alam Majumdar mentioned the name of Mohammad Ishtiaq Mahmud.
Consequently, on 27 December 2022, the court withdrew the case from testimony stage and forwarded it to Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) for further investigation. On 1 January 2023, the CMM Rezaul Karim Chowdhury ordered a further probe into the matter.
Following the further investigation, Rajon Saha, assistant superintendent of police of the Detective Branch (DB), submitted a supplementary charge sheet on 19 September 2023 against nine individuals, including Badiul Alam Majumdar’s brother-in-law, Mohammad Ishtiaq Mahmud.
Subsequently, on 19 November 2023, the then Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Nurul Huda Chowdhury ordered commencement of the trial by framing charges against the accused.
