Rifat murder: Charge sheet against Minni, 23 others accepted

A Barguna court today accepted the charge sheet against Ayesha Siddika Minni and 23 others in Rifat Sharif murder case.

Barguna Senior Judicial Magistrate Gazi Sirajul Islam accepted the charge sheet submitted by investigation officer of the case Humayun Kabir, also inspector (investigation) of Barguna Sadar Police Station, in presence of nine accused including Rifat’s wife Minni.

Among the nine accused, six -- Md Sagor, Al Kaium alias Rabbi Akond, Kamrul Islam Simon, Rezwan Ali Khan alias Tiktok Hridoy, Md Hasan, Rafiul Islam Rabbi -- submitted petitions seeking bail. But the court rejected the bail petitions and sent them to jail.

Among the 24 accused, Minni and Arian Srabon are now on bail, our Patuakhali correspondent reports quoting Advocate Golam Mostafa Qader.

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Rifat Murder: Minni among 24 charged

Nine other the charge-sheeted accused are on the run. There are six juveniles among the charge sheeted accused of the case who are now at Jessore Juvenile Development Center, he said.

The six juveniles will be tried in the Children's Court, the lawyer said.

The name of the prime accused Sabbir Hossain Nayan alias Nayan Bond has been excluded from the charges as he was killed in a “gunfight” on July 2, six days after the murder of Rifat Sharif, according to a press release of the superintendent of police in Barguna published on September 1.

HOW WAS RIFAT MURDERED?

Rifat Sharif, 25, an internet service provider, was hacked to death in broad daylight in front of Minni’s college in Barguna town on June 26.

In the CCTV footage of the incident, Minni was seen screaming and trying to save her husband from the attackers.

Police arrested Minni after a daylong interrogation on July 16. A court placed her on a five-day remand the following day. Three days later, a Barguna court recorded her statement.

On August 29, the High Court granted bail to Minni on conditions that she cannot talk to the media and she will remain in her father’s custody.