Hearing not held as judge on leave

Judge (In Charge) SM Mojibur Rahman of the First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court, Dhaka fixed September 14 for hearing on charge framing against 18 accused.

Fourteen people were killed in a canon fire on the night of August 15, 1975 in Mohammadpur when founding father of the country Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated along with most of his family members in a bloody military putsch.

A canon shell fired by military personnel taking part in the putsch on the night fell on two houses in Mohammadpur, killing the 14.

On the fateful night 30 years ago, the army personnel who took part in the Bangabandhu killing operation also killed Habibur Rahman, Anwara Begum-1, Anwara Begum-2, Moyful Bibi, Sabera Begum, Abdullah, Rafiqul, Safia Khatun, Shahabuddin, Kasheda, Aminuddin, Honufa Bibi, Rezia Begum and her daughter Nasima in Mohammadpur.

On November 29, 1996, Mohammad Ali, a resident of Sher Shah Suri Road who was injured in the attack, filed the case with Mohammadpur Police Station accusing Lt Col Syed Farook Rahman, Lt Col Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Major Bazlul Huda, Lt Col Khondader Abdur Rashid, Lt Col Shariful Haq Dalim, Lt Col SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Maj AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, Lt Col Abdul Aziz Pasha, Capt Abdul Majed, Capt Mohammad Kismat Hasem and Lt Col MA Rashed Chowdhury.

The Criminal Investigation Department on April 30, 2001 pressed charges against 18 people. Of them, Lt Col Syed Farook Rahman, Lt Col Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Lt Col Muhiuddin Ahmed and Major Bazlul Huda -- are now in the Dhaka Central Jail.

The absconding accused are Resalder Moslehuddin, Lt Col Khondader Abdur Rashid, Lt Col Shariful Haq Dalim, Lt Col SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Maj AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Lt Col AM Rashed Chowdhury, Maj Ahmed Shariful Hossain, Lt Col Abdul Aziz Pasha, Capt Abdul Majed, Capt Mohammad Kismat Hasem, Capt Nazmul Hossain, Dafadar Marfat Ali Shah and Dafadar Mohammad Abdul Hashem Mridha. Of them, Aziz Pasha died in Zimbabwe in 2002.

Former minister Taher Uddin Thakur, the lone civilian accused in the case, is now on bail.