Charge sheet filed against 2 accused, hearing on charge framing set for 1 June
In a case concerning the brutal murder of an eight-year-old child in the capital’s Pallabi, the police have submitted a charge sheet against the accused Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akter in court.
The court has accepted the charges against them, and a hearing for the formation of charges is set for 1 June.
The judge of the Dhaka Metropolitan Children Violence Suppression Tribunal, Masroor Saleqin, accepted the charges against the accused on Sunday afternoon (May 24) and gave this order.
Earlier in the day, Investigation Officer Sub-Inspector Ohiduzzaman of Pallabi Police Station submitted the charge sheet against Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akter in Dhaka’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ashraful Haque accepted the charge sheet and ordered the case to be transferred for trial.
Subsequently, the case was moved to the Dhaka Metropolitan Children Violence Suppression Tribunal.
On 19 May, at around 11: 30 am, the dismembered body of the child was recovered from a flat on the third floor of a building in the capital’s Pallabi. On the same day, the police arrested Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna, residents of the flat.
In this incident, the child’s father filed a case at Pallabi Police Station on charges of rape and murder. The main accused, Sohel Rana, gave a confessional statement in court last Wednesday. In his statement, he confessed to raping and murdering the child. The following Thursday night, after a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman met with the child’s family. He assured them of a swift investigation and justice.
People from various walks of life, as well as different parties and organisations, have expressed outrage, condemning the brutal incident. They have been demanding a thorough investigation and speedy trial. Protests and human chains were also organised in various parts of the capital yesterday.
Today, both accused Sohel Rana and Swapna Akter were brought to the court premises and kept in custody. The Dhaka Metropolitan Children Violence Suppression Tribunal accepted the charges against them and ordered the hearing for the formation of charges to be held on 1 June. In the afternoon, both were sent back to prison.
Home Minister Salauddin Ahmed expects the trial of this case to be completed in five to seven days.
He stated this in response to questions from journalists at a dialogue organised by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the Secretariat on Sunday morning.
The Home Minister stated that the government would do whatever is necessary to ensure the maximum punishment for this crime. He mentioned that the accused was arrested within seven hours of the murder. The accused provided a confessional statement in court within one day. His wife was also arrested based on his statement under section 164.
The government swiftly conducted DNA testing with the court’s permission. The testing took three days to complete, and the report was submitted last Saturday afternoon. The post-mortem report has also been received. Combining all these, the charge sheet was drafted by Saturday night.
Referring to the appointment of a special public prosecutor to handle the case, the minister said, “Considering everything, we are hopeful that this trial will be completed within five to seven days. “
المصدر: Prothom Alo (EN)