Verdict Wednesday
The verdicts in the gruesome grenade attack cases on an Awami League rally at the Bangabandhu Avenue in the city on August 21 will be delivered on Wednesday.
Fourteen years ago, country’s first ever grisly grenade attack on an opposition political rally with the aim of killing the then opposition leader, now Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Bangabandhu Avenue which killed, a total 24 AL leaders and activists, including Mahila Awami League president Ivy Rahman, and injured more than 300 others.
After 1,754 days court working days, on September 18, Judge Shahed Nuruddin of Speedy Trial Tribunal (STT)-1 of Dhaka temporarily set up adjacent to old Dhaka Central Jail at Nazimuddin Road fixed the day of delivery of judgement in the grenade attack cases.
The court is expected to deliver the judgement in the two cases against 49 people, including BNP's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and the then State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar.
A total 119 days were needed to hear the arguments of both the prosecution and defence sides in the sensational cases.
In the final arguments Chief Prosecutor of the cases, also the country’s veteran lawyer Adv Syed Rezaur Rahman appealed to the court for awarding the highest punishment as per law to all the accused who were involved in committing the gruesome attack as the prosecutor claimed that the prosecution team was able to prove the case beyond doubt.
On the other hand defence lawyers argued before the court that the prosecution team was not able to prove the case and they submitted a prayer to acquit the accused.
A total of 225 prosecution witnesses out 491 and 20 defence witnesses testified in the trial.
On the last day of arguments, the court cancelled the bail of eight accused following a prayer of the prosecution and ordered to send them to jail.
The accused whose bail were cancelled are former IGPs Ashraful Huda, Shahudul Haque and Khoda Baksh Chowdhury, three former Criminal Investigation Department officials -- SP Ruhul Amin, former CID ASPs Munshi Atiqur Rahman and Abdur Rashid, former Dhaka City Corporation Ward Commissioner Ariful Islam Arif and Lt Commander (retd) Saiful Islam Duke, also nephew of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
A gruesome grenade attack was carried out on an anti-terrorism rally organized by Awami League at Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital during the BNP-Jamaat regime, aiming to kill then opposition leader, incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 21 in 2004.
On the following day of the incident, Sub Inspector Faruk Hossain, Awami League leader (late) Abdul Jalil and Saber Hossain Chowdhury filed three cases with Motijheel Police Station in this connection.
After a caretaker government came to power on June 11 in 2008, the Senior ASP of CID Fazlul Kabir submitted two charge sheets accusing 22 people, including HUJI leader Mufti Hannan and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu.
The court framed charges against 22 people on October 29 in 2008 and recorded statements of 61 witnesses.
The court on August 12 in 2009 ordered further investigation in the cases during the trial following prosecution’s plea.
New investigation officer and Special Superintendant of Police of CID Abdul Kahar Akand on July 3 in 2011 submitted two separate supplementary charge sheets, one for murder and another under Explosive Substances Act, accusing more 30 people including BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman. With 30 people total accused stood at 52.
On March 18 in 20018, the trial court framed charges against the accused of supplementary charge sheet and ordered to begin trial again.
Two prime accused former Jamaat secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed has been hanged in crimes against humanity case, while Mufti Hannan and his associate Shahidul Alam Bipul have also been executed for 2004 grenade attack at Shahjalal Shrine in Sylhet and their names have been dropped from the case.
During the BNP-Jamaat rule the investigators tried to turn the probe to a wrong direction by staging a Joj Miah drama.
Now the total accused stands at 49. Of the total 49 accused, 18 are yet to be arrested, eight are on bail and the rest are behind the bars.
The 23 accused who now in jail are Lutfozzaman Babar, former state minister for home affairs, Abdus Salam Pintu, former deputy minister for education, Maj Gen (retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, former Director of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, Maj Gen (retd) Abdur Rahim, former Director General of National Security Intelligence (NSI), Shahadatullah alias Jewel, Moulana Sheikh Abdus Salam, Kashmir militant Abdul Majed Bhatt alias Yousuf Bhatt, Pakistan-based militant outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) activist Abdul Malek alias Golam Mohammad alias GM, Maulana Abdur Rouf alias Abu Omar Abu Homaira alias Pir Shaheb, Moulana Shabbir Ahmed alias Abdul Hannan Shabbir, HUJI leaders Maulana Shawkat Osman alias Sheikh Farid, Mohibullah alias Mafizur Rahman alias Ovi (Hannan’s brother), Maulana Abu Sayeed alias Dr Abu Zafar, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul, Jahangir Alam, Hafez Maulana Abu Taher, Hossain Ahmed Tamim, Mufti Moinuddin Sheikh alias Mufti Moin alias Khawja alias Abu Zandal alias Masum Billah, Arif Hasan alias Sumon alias Abdur Razzak, Rafiqul Islam alias Sabuj alias Khalid Saifullah alias Shamim alias Rashed, Mohammad Ujjal alias Ratan, Hafez Maulana Yahya and Abu Bakar alias Hafez Selim Howlader.
The bailed accused are Lt Commander (retd) Saiful Islam Duke, also nephew of Khaleda Zia, Ariful Islam Arif former Ward Commissioner of BNP Dhaka City Corporation, Ward No 53, three former IGPs, Md Ashraful Huda, Shahudul Haque, Khoda Baksh Chowdhury, Senior SP Ruhul Amin of CID, ASP Abdur Rashid and ASP Munshi Atiqur Rahman.
The fugitives are Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Harris Chowdhury, former political secretary to former prime minister Khaleda Zia, Maulana Tajuddin, brother of former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pinto, Mahibul Muttakin alias Muttakin, Anisul Mursalin alias Mursalin, Md Khalil, Jahangir Alam Badar, Md Iqbal, Liton alias Maulana Liton alias Delwar Hossain alias Jubaer, Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad for law maker of BNP, Mohammad Hanif, the owner of Hanif Paribahan, Lt Col (retd) Saiful Islam Joarder, Maj Gen ATM Amin (LPR), Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Mufti Abdul Hai, Ratul Ahmed Babu alias Babu alias Ratul Babu, Khan Sayeed Hassan, former DC (South) of DMP, and former deputy commissioner (east) of DMP Obaidur Rahman Khan.
According to the intelligence sources, of the fugitives, Tarique Rahman is in London, Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad in the Middle East, Mohammad Hanif of Hanif Enterprise is in Kolkata, retired Maj Gen ATM Amin in the USA, retired Lt Col Saiful Islam Joardar in Canada, Ratul Babu in India, Anisul Morsalin and Mohibul Mottakin are in Indian jail and Mawlana Tajuddin is in South Africa.
BNP's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman was sentenced to seven years imprisonment and fined Tk 20 crore by the High Court on July 21 in 2016 overturning a lower court verdict that acquitted Tarique in the money laundering case involving Tk 20.41 crore. Another Dhaka Court on February 8 this year sentenced Tarique to ten years imprisonment and fined Tk 2.10 crore in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.
In this case if the charge of criminal conspiracy to murder is proved against Tarique, he may get the capital punishment, says a team member of the prosecution.
