Trial in Avijit murder case yet to end in 5yrs

Trial in the case filed over the murder of Avijit Roy, founder of the influential Bangladeshi blog Mukto-Mona (Freethinkers), are yet to complete in five years.

It turned into five years today (February 26) since Avijit Roy was killed and his wife Rafida Afrin Banya injured in an attack at the Ekuskey Book Fair by machete wielding assailants.

The trial of the case filed over his murder started on August 1 last year.

The court has heard 10 out of 34 witnesses and set the next hearing for March 2.

Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal’s Public Prosecutor Golam Sarwar Khan Zakir hoped that the trial will end soon.

Avijit Roy, son of Dr Ajoy Roy, also a former Professor of the Physics Department of Dhaka University, was killed and his wife Rafida Afrin Banya injured in an attack near the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) on the university campus on February 26, 2015. They came under the attack when they came out of Ekushe Boi mela.

Following the incident, Avijit’s father Ajoy Roy lodged a murder case with Shahbagh Police Station in the capital.

Investigating the case, Investigation Officer of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of police Monirul Islam submitted charge sheet to a Dhaka court in connection with the murder of US-based Bangladeshi blogger Avijit Roy accusing six people.

Dhaka/Mamun Khan/AI