A Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against 13 expelled Chhatra League activists of Jahangirnagar University in connection with the killing of Zubair Ahmed, a student of the university, last year.

The accused, now on bail, pleaded not guilty and demanded justice when Judge ABM Nizamul Haque of Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 read out the

charges against them.

The court also fixed September 12 for starting the trial of the case.

Zubair, an honours final year student of English department of JU, was allegedly tortured and stabbed by the accused on January 8 last year.

He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in the capital on the next day.

The accused are Khandaker Ashikul Islam alias Ashik, Khan Mohammad Rais and Zahid Hasan of zoology department, Rashidul Islam and Ishtiaq Mehbub (Arup) of philosophy department, Mahabub Akram of government and politics department, Najmus Sakib Topu of biochemistry and molecular biology, Majharul Islam and Mahamudul Hasan Masud of history department, Kamruzzaman Sohag of philosophy, Najmul Hossein Plabon of public administration, and Shafiul Alam Setu and Abhinandon Kundu of statistics.

FollowingZubair's death, JU Deputy Registrar Hamidur Rahman filed a case with Ashulia Police Station.

On April 8 last year, police submitted the charge sheet against the accused.

The JU syndicate on January 30 expelled seven of the 13 accused for life and six others for two years after a probe committee found their involvement in the killing.

The students, who were expelled for life, are Ashik, Rais, Zahid, Rashidul, Arup, Akram and Topu.