Shawdesh Desk:

A special court in Dhaka on Thursday indicted six people including sacked major Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque, a suspected coordinator of banned extremist outfit Ansar-Al-Islam, in the case of killing blogger Avijit Roy during Ekushey Book Fair in 2015.

Anti-terrorism special tribunal judge Md Mujibur Rahman indicted the six and set September 11 for commencement of the trial through recording statements of prosecution witnesses, bench officer Ruhul Amin said.

Besides Ziaul, indicted accused are Mozammel Hossain alias Saimon, Abu Sidduque Sohel alias Sakib alias Shahab, Akram Hossain alias Abir, Md Arafat Rahman, and Shafiur Rahamn Farabi, all suspected members of extremist outfit Ansar-Al-Islam, formerly known as Ansarullah Bangla Team.

Of them, Ziaul and Akram were still absconding while four others were in the dock.

Asked whether they were guilty or not, all the four on the dock — Mozammel, Sidduque, Arafat and Shafiur — pleaded not guilty and preferred to be tried and sought justice.

On February 26, 2015, Avijit Roy, also founder of Mukto-Mona blog, was hacked to death on the footpath near Dhaka University TSC after leaving the Bangla Academy premises during Ekushey Book Fair. His wife Rafida Afrin Banya was also injured in the attack.

Both Avijit and Rafida are citizens of the United States and came to Bangladesh on the occasion of Ekushey Book Fair.

Later, Avijit’s father and noted physicist Ajoy Roy filed a case with Shahbagh police station on February 27 accusing unidentified assailants.

The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes unit of police investigated the case and submitted charge sheet to the court on March 13, 2019 and the court accepted it on April 11.