Mitford Sohag murder: Accused expresses no confidence in court

In front of Mitford Hospital in the capital, an accused in the murder case of businessman Sohag alias Lal Chand has expressed no confidence in the trial court. Due to this, the court has postponed the taking of testimony in the case to July 27.

On Sunday (July 19), accused Mahmudul Hasan Mahin expressed no confidence in the court of Dhaka's 1st Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md. Alamgir. When his lawyer Mashrur Hossain applied to postpone the taking of testimony, the court granted it. The matter was confirmed by the plaintiff's lawyer Ziaul Haque.

The defendant's lawyer Mashrur Hossain said that he could not appear in court on the day of the charge-sheeting hearing on July 12 due to heavy rain. He is acting as a lawyer for the seven accused in the case. They do not have confidence in the court as it framed the charges without giving them a day's time. A no-confidence motion has been filed in the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court in this regard. The application is scheduled to be heard on July 22.

He further said that the court accepted the application to postpone the recording of testimony citing the issue of lack of confidence in the court.

A total of 21 people have been accused in the case. Of them, 10 are in prison, three are on bail and the remaining eight are absconding.

It is worth noting that on the afternoon of July 9, 2025, Sohag alias Lal Chand, a scrap metal and old wire trader, was killed by hitting his head and body with a concrete block in front of Gate No. 3 of Mitford Hospital in the capital. When the video of the incident went viral on social media, it created widespread discussion across the country.

According to the police, many of the people who participated in the murder and were behind it were acquaintances of Sohag. Some of them were also his business associates at one time. It is initially believed that the murder took place due to a business dispute.

In this incident, the deceased's elder sister Manjuara Begum filed a murder case with the Kotwali Police Station. After the investigation, the court granted the request for further investigation citing the shortcomings in the first charge sheet. Later, after the investigation officer was changed, Kotwali Police Station Inspector Shah Md. Faisal Ahmed filed a new charge sheet on May 10, accusing 21 people. Then, the case was sent to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court on June 21 for the start of the trial.