Shawdesh Desk: The police on Sunday pressed their charge sheet in the case of murdering Rifat Sharif, who was hacked to death in broad daylight at Barguna district town on June 26, against Rifat’s widow Ayesha Siddika Minni and 23 others.

Inspector (investigation) of Barguna police station Humayun Kabir who investigated the case submitted the charge sheet before the court of senior judicial magistrate Mohammad Sirajul Islam Gazi in the afternoon, Barguna court inspector Abdul Quddus said.

Official sources in the court said the police have so far arrested 15 suspects of the 24.

The 15 arrested are: Rifat Faraji, Rishan Faraji, Chandan Sarkar, Rabbi Akan, Hasan, Oli, Tiktok Hridoy, Sagar, Quamrul Islam Saimun, Ariyan Sraban, Rafiul Islam Rabbi, Tanvir, Nazmul Hasan, Ratul Shikder and deceased Rifat’s widow Ayesha.

Ayesha is the number seven accused in the charge sheet, officials said.

The nine other charge-sheeted persons, including Musa Bond, Mohaiminul Islam Sifat, Raihan and Rifat Hawlader who were named in the first information report, are still in hiding, according to the officials.

They said that the investigation officer dropped the name of the prime accused Nayan Bond from the charge sheet as he was killed in a gunfight with police on July 2, they said.

On July 16, Barguna police arrested Ayesha as a suspect in the case after a daylong interrogation at the office of Barguna superintendent of police.

A Barguna court placed her on a five-day remand on the following day in the absence of any lawyer to defend her and, on the third day of her remand in police custody, the court recorded her statement.

A number of rights organisations protested Ayesha’s arrest alleging that she was falsely implicated in the case and that she was arrested without following the due process of law.

Ayesha’s father Mojammel Hossain then alleged that her daughter was implicated in the case to hide the real killers and their masterminds.

On August 29, a High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman granted her bail on condition that she would not talk to the media.

On Sunday, the government filed a petition in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the bail granted to her.

A video clip of the murder captured in a surveillance camera went viral on social media after the incident occurred. It showed criminals hacking Rifat Sharif brutally in broad daylight in front of Barguna Govt College while his wife Minni alone was trying to save him.

Rifat was sent to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal where he died on July 26.

Dulal Sharif, father of Rifat, filed a case against 12 people on the following day.

Barguna Awami League insiders said that the gang led by Nayan Bond, allegedly responsible for killing Rifat, was backed by a district Awami League leader Sunam Debnath, also son of local AL lawmaker Dhirendra Debnath Shambhu.

They said that it was a sequel to local factional politics of AL and that Sunam started to back the gang after Shambhu’s rival Jahangir Kabir’s son Jubayer Adnan became the president of Barguna Chhatra League and the MP lost his control over student politics in the district, they said.

Sunam, however, in July denied the allegation.

Ayesha was arrested two days after a human chain in Barguna district town where Sunam and Rifat’s father Dulal Sharif on July 14 demanded Ayesha’s arrest suspecting her involvement in the killing.