The Speedy Trial Tribunal will announce today the next date of trial.

The Special Public Prosecutor and two other lawyers appointed by the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) on Sunday appealed to the tribunal for adding the supplementary charge.

Charge-framing of the case was completed on October 29.

The chargesheeted persons are JCD cadre Noman Uddin Murad, Jashimuddin, Sujan Ali, Luthfur Rahman and Sufian. All of them except Jashimuddin are in jail hajat. Jasimuddin is absconding.

The accused were produced in the court on Sunday.

The prosecution told the court that that the accused had demanded toll from Dr Aftab days before the killing. Failing to realise toll, they planned to kill him. But this was dropped from the charge sheet. This should be added before start of the trial, they told the court.

As many as 36 witnesses are there in the case.

Dr. Aftab Hossain, Assistant Director of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, was called out of his chamber at Dhakadakshin bazaar in Golapganj upazila on the night of September 14 last year on the plea of attending an elderly patient.

The assailants on motorbikes took him to a hillock in remote Ghoshgaon village and killed him. The killers took away his motorbike, mobile phone and money.

The body was recovered next morning.

Following filing of a case, the then officer-in-charge of Golapganj thana was entrusted with the task investigating the case.

Sources said a gang of hoodlums of Dhakadakshin bazaar had demanded a big amount as toll from Dr Aftab for bail of one of their gang members. As he declined, they planned to kill him.

The killing of Dr. Aftab, known for his amiable behaviour, sparked a widespread resentment.

A hartal was observed in the upazila for arrest and trial of the killers.

The BMA also gave a memorandum to the government for arrest and punishment of the killers and its members in Sylhet abstained from seeing patients at their private chambers.