State counsels hope Aug 21 grenade attack hearings to end in September

State counsels in the Aug 21 grenade attack cases have expressed hopes that verdicts are forthcoming, an expectation they had also expressed last year.

“We will have the verdicts on both cases soon,” Syed Rezaur Rahman, chief prosecutor of the cases, told bdnews24.com on Monday.

Tuesday will be the 14th anniversary of the 2004 grenade attack that targeted an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue in an attempt to assassinate Sheikh Hasina, leader of the opposition in parliament at the time.

Law Minister Anisul Huq has recently said that the court will finish the hearings in September.

The dates of the verdicts will be determined once the court hears the testimony of former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, one of the main suspects in the case.

“The hearing will commence once Babar’s lawyers conclude their argument. The date for the verdict will be set soon after,” said Syed Rezaur Rahman.

The next hearings of the case are scheduled on Sept 27, Sept 28 and Sept 29. Babar’s lawyer Nazrul Islam will present the arguments for his defence.

The 2004 grenade attack on the rally occurred at a time when the BNP-Jamaat government was in power.

Hasina was the chief speaker at the rally. As she was stepping off the truck, which was used as a dais, the assailants hurled the grenades into the rally. Detectives said 13 to 14 grenades were detonated.

Among those killed in the blasts were Bangladesh Mohila Awami League President Ivy Rahman, wife of senior Awami League leader Zillur Rahman, who was later elected president. The attack left Hasina with hearing problems.

The late Dhaka mayor, Mohammad Hanif, was among over 500 injured in the explosions.

During the tenure of the BNP-Jamaat coalition government, attempts were made to play down the incident and put a lid on the case. Three investigation officers during that tenure—Ruhul Amin, Munshi Atikur Rahman and Abdur Rashid—were later charged.

A chargesheet was submitted and investigations initiated once the Fakhruddin Ahmed-led caretaker government took charge in January 2007.

The investigations received a fresh wind when the Awami League returned to power in 2009.

The names of 30 others were added to the list of the accused in the case.

Among the 30 accused were BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, her nephew Saiful Islam Duke, former state minister Abdus Salam Pintu and former member of parliament Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad.

Three former Inspectors General of Police - Md Ashraful Huda, Shahidul Haque and Khoda Baksh Chowdhury, along with former NSI director general Rezzakul Haider and Abdur Rahim, are also among the accused in the case.

ফাইল ছবি

The case was transferred from the Speedy Trial Tribunal to the Sessions Judge's Court and has again been handed back to the tribunal.

Judge Shahed Nuruddin of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 has been hearing the cases at a special court in Nazim Uddin Road in Old Dhaka. At least 225 of 491 witnesses have recorded their testimonies in two cases – one for murder and the other under the Explosives Act.