A Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against 21 people in a case over the murder of scrap trader Lal Chand, alias Sohag, near Mitford Hospital in Old Dhaka and set July 19 for recording prosecution witnesses.
Thirteen accused present in court pleaded not guilty after Judge (In-Charge) Mosaddek Minhaj of the Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court-1 read out the charges, court bench assistant ASM Shahadat Ali said.
Ten of the 13 accused currently in jail were produced before the court during the hearing, he added.
According to the case documents, Sohag, 39, was hacked and repeatedly struck with stones by a group of people on Rajani Ghosh Lane near Mitford Hospital on July 9 last year.
The following day, his elder sister, Manjuara Begum, filed a murder case with Kotwali Police Station against 19 named individuals and 15 to 20 unidentified people.
The investigating officer, Inspector Md Moniruzzaman of Kotwali Police Station, submitted a charge sheet against 21 accused on December 8 last year.
On January 20 this year, the court ordered a further investigation after finding flaws in the probe.
Following the order, Inspector Shah Md Faisal Ahmed of Kotwali Police Station submitted a supplementary charge sheet on May 10, retaining the same 21 accused.
According to court records, Ruman Bepari, Abir Hossain and Mohammad Parvez are on bail. Ten accused are in jail, while the remaining eight are absconding.