Charge framing deferred 6th time

A Sylhet tribunal yesterday deferred until August 18 the charge framing in the former Finance Minister SAMS Kibria murder case.

With this, charge framing in the sensational case has been deferred for the sixth time.

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Sylhet City Corporation's suspended mayor Ariful Haq was not present in the court yesterday while former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar and other accused were present.

Five people, including Kibria, were killed and 70 others injured in a grenade attack on a public meeting of local Awami League at Baidder Bazar in Sadar upazila on January 27, 2005.

Awami League leader Abdul Mazid Khan filed two cases the following day.

Assistant Superintendent of CID Munshi Atique submitted a charge sheet against 10 BNP leaders and activists on March 19, 2005.

On June 20, 2011, CID Senior Assistant Superintendent Rafiqul Islam submitted a supplementary charge sheet incorporating the names of 14 more people, including Babar and Mufti Hannan, following a no-confidence petition filed by the complainant. Upon an appeal by the complainant, the High Court on May 5, 2006 stayed the proceedings of the cases. Following another appeal by the complainant, the tribunal on May 14, 2006 ordered further investigation into the cases.

However, Asma Kibria, wife of the slain minister, filed another petition with a local court expressing no-confidence in the investigation. Later, the tribunal on January 5, 2012 ordered the CID to carry out further probe into the killing.