The court yesterday took up the two sensational murder cases for trial on orders from the home ministry, court sources said.

Khulna city AL president advocate Manzurul Imam was killed in a bomb attack allegedly by extremists on the morning of August 25 in 2003 in front of his residence at Shamsur Rahman Road under Khulna Sadar police station.

Advocate Bijon Bihari Mondol who accompanied the AL leader on the same rickshaw also succumbed to injuries while he was being taken to Dhaka on August 30 from Khulna Medical College Hospital.

Abdullah Haroon Rumi, son of the slain AL leader, lodged an FIR with Khulna Sadar police station as complainant without naming any body for his father's murder.

The FIR was recorded as a regular case. It was investigated first by Khulna Sadar thana Police and then by detective branch of Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP).

After seven months' investigation, charge sheet of the murder case was submitted to a court in Khulna, naming four extremists.

The masterminds and financiers behind the murder were allegedly left out of the charge sheet which also did not mention the motive of killing the AL leader.

Trial of this murder case was so long going on in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Khulna. Docket of the case was however handed over to Speedy Trial Tribunal yesterday afternoon.

Khulna bureau chief of Dainik Sangram Shaikh Belaluddin was fatally injured in a bomb attack by unidentified miscreants on the night of February 5 in 2005 on Khulna Press Club compound.

He died in the early morning of February 11 while under treatment at Dhaka Combined Military Hospital.

Police as complainant filed a case with Khulna Sadar police station on February 12, 2005 without naming any accused.

The IO of the murder case, however, submitted charge sheet to court on November 17, in 2005, naming six persons as accused.

The chargesheeted accused include ward level leader of Khulna Jamaat-e-Islami Shahabuddin Laskar alias Dhira.

After a meeting of home ministry's monitoring cell, the then home minister Lutfozzaman Babar said Dhira was the mastermind of the murder.

Charge of this murder case was framed on June 29 last year in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Khulna.

But trial of the case was stayed by order of High Court on August 23 last year following a prayer submitted by prime accused Dhira.