Hearing Sept 26 on dropping case against Mirza Abbas' brother

After scrutinising the government petition, Judge SM Mojibur Rahman of the First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court set the next date for the hearing.

The court also granted bail to Khokon, brother of Housing and Public Works Minister Mirza Abbas, upon a bond of Tk 50,000 with two guarantors after he surrendered to the court and sought bail.

Earlier on July 17, Public Prosecutor Abdullah Mahmud Hassan submitted the petition along with a home ministry letter that recommended withdrawal of the case terming it as a 'politically motivated' one.

However, the trial of the case against five other fugitives -- Kashem, Swadhin, Swapan, Masum and Maichcha -- will continue.

A procession led by Khokon was brought out in support of the hartal called by the then opposition party BNP in front of Khilgaon Bazar at about 2:45pm on November 10, 1998, said the prosecution.

At one stage, several bombs were exploded that left the rickshaw-puller Asad, who waiting on the roadside for passengers, seriously injured. He was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries the next day.

Sub-Inspector Shahjahan Kabir of Khilgaon Police Station filed a murder case against Khokon and five others in this connection. The investigation officer pressed charges against Khokon and five others on September 21, 2001. The court framed charges against them on July 25, 2002.

The home ministry in a letter on June 19 this year informed the district magistrate of Dhaka that it had decided to withdraw charges against Khokon because the charges were 'politically motivated'.

The ministry asked the district magistrate to hand over the matter to the metropolitan public prosecutor (PP), who would arrange withdrawal of the case with permission from an appropriate court.