Dhaka, May 23 (bdnews24.com) – Former commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) S M Sabbir Ali has said then State Minister for Home Lutfuzzaman Babar had asked him not to speak out about the involvement of the members of National Security Intelligence (NSI) in the 10-truck arms haul.
Sabbir made this statement in his deposition before the judge of Special Tribunal-1 SM Mujibur Rahman, also the Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions judge, on Wednesday in connection with the much-talked-about arms haul case.
The former CMP chief said Babar, then Inspector General of Police (IGP) Shahudul Haque, chief of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) Sadique Hasan Rumi and then chief of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Anwarul Iqbal had sat in a meeting at Dampara Police Line the next day of the arms seizure.
Sabbir said he himself and then CMP Deputy Commissioner (Chittagong Seaport Zone) Abdullah Hel Baki were present at the meeting.
"At the meeting, we informed the minister and the DIG about the involvement of the NSI officials in the arms haul. Then the state minister for home had asked us not to do or speak out anything on the issue," he added.
Sabbir said the minister informed them (Ali and Baki) that a committee had been formed to investigate the incident.
The former CMP official claimed that they got no help from the high officials of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd (CUFL) during the investigation.
"During the investigation, we're confirmed that Akbar Hossain, one of the NSI field officers, had hired the trucks and cranes to unload the arms from fishing trawlers and to transport those. He could not be interrogated as we could not find him."
The day's proceedings resumed with the deposition of the former CMP commissioner, who is now on retirement. He also gave his deposition on Tuesday. The proceedings continued until 5.10pm with one hour intermission at 2.15pm. The hearing will resume in the same court on Thursday.
Sabbir told the court on Wednesday that then Home Secretary Omar Faruk, also chief of the five-member probe committee, least bothered even to record his (Sabbir) statement during visits of the investigation committee.
"When I told (Faruk) him about the involvement of high officials of NSI including its chief Abdur Rahim, he sidestepped the issue without making any remark", he added.
After his deposition, the counsels of the accused cross-examined Sabbir.
The background
On Nov 15, the court had framed formal charges against 11 accused, all named in the supplementary chargesheet, in connection with the biggest-ever arms seizure in Bangladesh to date.
Police had seized 10 trucks of arms and ammunition from the CUFL jetty in the port city on April 2, 2004. Around 1,500 wooden boxes containing submachine guns, AK-47 assault rifles, submachine carbines, Chinese pistols, rocket shells and launchers, hand grenades and bullets were seized.
The cache was believed to be meant for Indian separatist outfit United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA).
Two cases were filed the next day with Karnaphuli police -- one under the Special Powers Act and the other under the Arms Act.
In 2004, investigators submitted the first chargesheet against 45 persons in the smuggling case, and 43 people in the arms case. Four persons, accused in both cases, have since died.
Fifty-two accused were charged in the case filed for smuggling firearms and 50 in the arms case in the supplementary chargesheet submitted on June 26 this year.
Two accused – ULFA leader Paresh Barua and former additional secretary of industries Nurul Amin – are yet to be arrested.
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