28 including three lawyers indicted

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab)-7 yesterday pressed charge against 28 persons including Supreme Court lawyer Shakila Farzana in a case filed for their alleged involvement in the financing of a militant outfit in Chittagong's Banshkhali upazila.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ruhul Amin, also investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate for Banshkhali Upazila; confirmed Bikash Ranjan Dhar, public prosecutor of the court.

On February 22 last year, a team of Rab-7 busted a training centre of the militant outfit, Shahid Hamja Brigade, in Lotmoni Hill area in the upazila, and recovered a cache of ammunition and militant training equipment.

During the drive, they also arrested five militants from the spot. Later, the case was filed with Banshkhali police in this connection.

On August 18, Rab arrested Shakila and two other lawyers-- Hasanuzzaman Liton and Mahfuz Chowdhury Bapon--from the capital's Dhamondi for their alleged link with funding the militant organisation Tk1.08 crore, said Rab-7 Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Miftha Uddin Ahmed.

Later, they were shown arrested in the case.