The verdict in the case filed in respect of the tragic road accident that killed five persons, including renowned filmmaker Tareque Masud and cinematographer Mishuk Munier, will be delivered this Wednesday. The court of the additional district and sessions judge of Manikganj, Al Mahmud Foyzul Kabir, yesterday fixed the date after concluding hearing the arguments of the prosecution and defence lawyers. The court also upheld the killer bus driver’s bail.
The additional public prosecutor in the case, Advocate Afsarul Islam, confirmed the date of the verdict. The hearing of the testimonies of the witnesses in the case started on April 16, 2012. Around 39 witnesses have given their testimonies in court till the hearing of the argument yesterday.
After listening to the arguments of both the public prosecutor and the accused’s lawyer, the court set Wednesday for delivering the verdict in the case.
Five charges have been framed against the accused, driver Jamir Hossain. He was also present in court. Additional public prosecutor of the case, Advocate Afsarul Islam, and Barrister Khan Khalid Adnan stood for the complainant, while Advocate Madhab Saha fought for the accused. Court sources said while delivering his arguments, the public prosecutor of the case said the evidence and witnesses presented to the court clearly prove that the tragic accident occurred due to the negligence of the driver of the killer bus 'Chuadanga Deluxe'. His driving licence had also expired.
Advocate Madhab Saha, defending the accused, said in his statement, "During the accident, the bus driver was on the right track. It was raining and Jamir was driving the bus slowly. Suddenly, he saw the micro bus leaving its own lane and moving forward speedily. To avoid collision, Jamir took the extreme left side of the road. As a result, the bus pushed against at least three roadside trees. Yet the collision could not be averted."
Replying to the argument of the public prosecutor, he told the court that the microbus driver was either unmindful or had lost control over the vehicle because of rain. He said, "The accident did not occur as there was a turning point on the highway, since the spot was a bit away.”
After listening to the arguments of both the public prosecutor and the accused, the court set Wednesday to deliver the verdict of the case.
On the afternoon of August 13, 2011, Tareque Masud and Mishuk Munier, along with two members of their film production crew—Wasim and Jamal—and microbus driver Mostafizur Rahman were killed in Manikganj.