Indictment hearing in blogger Nazim murder case deferred

A special tribunal deferred the date for the hearing on charge framing in a case lodged over the brutal murder of blogger Nazimuddin Samad in 2016 to May 23.

Judge Md Mujibur Rahman of Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal set the new date on Thursday (March 30).

Earlier on January 20, 2022, the tribunal accepted charges against nine members of the banned militant outfit, Ansar Al Islam, including Syed Ziaul Haque alias Major (sacked) Zia, in a case filed over the murder of blogger Nazim Uddin Samad in 2016.

Nazim Uddin, a law student at Jagannath University (JnU), was hacked and shot to death at Hrishikesh Das Lane in Old Dhaka on April 6, 2016.

The eight other accused are Akram Hossain, Mozammel Hossain Saimon, Arafat Rahman Siam, Sheikh Abdullah alias Jubair and Asadullah alias Foyjul, Sabbirul Haque Chowdhury, Junaid Ahmed alias Maulana Junaid, and Rasidunnabi Bhuiyan alias Tahsin.

Major (sacked) Zia, Akram, Sabbirul, Tahsin and Junaid are on the run, while Mozammel, Arafat, Abdullah, and Asadullah are behind bars.

The tribunal issued arrest warrants against Zia and four others as they were shown fugitives in the charge sheet.

On August 18 of 2020, law enforcers filed charge sheet against the nine accused in the case.