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Download PDF Former premier Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman, Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami and 25 others were charged with murder yesterday in the August 21 grenade attacks on an Awami League (AL) rally about three years ago.
Badar Aziz Uddin of Cox’s Bazar filed the case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court, Dhaka. He too was injured in the blasts that left 23 killed and scores wounded on the city’s Bangabandhu Avenue in 2004.
The other accused include Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, former BNP lawmakers Amanullah Aman, Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, Mirza Abbas, Mosaddek Ali Falu, Barkat Ullah Bulu, Salahuddin Ahmed, Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, Helaluzzaman Talukder Lalu, Krishak Dal General Secretary Shahjahan Mian, Islami Bank Managing Director Nurul Islam, and businessman Giasuddin Al Mamun. The complainant said former BNP lawmakers Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, Helaluzzaman Talukder Lalu, businessman Giasuddin Al Mamun, Islami Bank Managing Director Nurul Islam, Krishak Dal General Secretary Shahjahan, and some unidentified goons hurled grenades moments after Sheikh Hasina had stepped down from the dais.
The blasts were carried out on instructions from BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman, Matiur Rahman Nizami, former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, former BNP lawmakers Amanullah Aman, Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, Mirza Abbas, Mosaddek Ali Falu, Barkat Ullah Bulu, and Salahuddin Ahmed.
The other accused include Jamaat leader Abdul Kader Mollah, Brig Gen (retired) Hannan Shah, the then National Security Intelligence (NSI) boss Maj Gen (retired) Rezzakul Haider, police chief Modabbir Hossain Chowdhury, BNP leader and former minister Aminul Huq, Rajshahi City Mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu, ex-additional IGP Faruq Ahmed, ex-DMP commissioner Khoda Bux, Islami Bank Chairman Abdul Halim, Shahidul Huq Jamal of Pirojpur, Ward Commissioner and BNP leader Chowdhury Alam and AKM Ahsanul Tayab Zakir of Bogra.
The magistrate asked the officer-in-charge of Paltan police to inquire into the case and submit a report.
Earlier, on August 22, 2004, police filed a case with the Motijheel Police Station against 200 people in connection with the grenade blasts. Two GDs filed by AL leaders Abdul Jalil and Saber Hossain Chowdhury the same day were merged into the police case.
The interim government on March 25 described the case as sensational and placed it on the list of the home ministry’s monitoring cell for proper investigation and quick disposal.
However, sources said no headway has yet been made in the investigation.
CASE STATEMENT
The complainant said that he saw something blackish falling on the truck from the direction of Ramna Bhaban at 5:20pm. Soon the entire area was full of choking smoke and people began running for cover as grenades continued to explode.
After the first four to five blasts the complainant went to 27 Bangabandhu Avenue along with several AL leaders including Swechhashebak League President AFM Bahauddin Nasim.
There he saw from a distance of some 10 yards a man named Nayan in white striped shirt and four others still throwing grenades.
Talking to reporters at his house later in the evening yesterday, Badar Aziz said he managed to identify Nayan as the other attackers fleeing the scene were calling him by that name.
As Aziz and others went on a chase after the grenade throwers, the law enforcers did not bother to catch the assailants. Rather, they fired rubber bullets and tear gas canisters on those already attacked.
He added that soon he fell injured as police continued attacking the injured AL leaders and workers.
Later when some leaders tried to help the then opposition leader of parliament get on her car, the attackers began throwing grenades again and opened fire on them.
The complainant alleged that the carnage was designed to kill Hasina and the other top AL leaders. He said the law enforcers deployed there had all along been aware of the plot and played a mere onlooker’s role.
He also observed that police attacked the AL men to ensure the raiders escaped unchallenged.
In the case statement, he accused the then ruling alliance leaders of destroying the crime scene evidence. They also hid the footages that private television channel ntv telecast in the evening of August 21.
Besides, the two unexploded grenades recovered from the scene were destroyed in haste without collecting the fingerprints supposed to be on them, alleged the complainant.
Ramna police refused to take any complaint and which is why he had to file the case with a court.
The complainant said it took him long to come up with the complaint as he was under treatment at different hospitals and there was intervention from the immediate past government.
He said the remarks of Khaleda Zia and her associates ridiculing the repeated attacks and death threats against Sheikh Hasina had in fact incited the killers of August 15 and November 3 in 1975 and their henchmen to stage the August 21 blasts.
The case was filed under sections 324/325/204/326/427/307/302/ 506/34 of the penal code and section 3/4 of Explosive Substances Act.
Besides the complainant, eight others including AL leaders Abdur Razzak, Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, and Saber Hossain Chowdhury were shown as witnesses.
A diploma engineer now running a shop in Demra, Badar Aziz told reporters that he got waylaid and threatened by Nayan and four others as he came out of the Supreme Court premises on September 9, 2004 after giving statement to the judicial commission formed to investigate the incident.
Asked why he has named Khaleda and Nizami as accused, he said that from the conservation of Nayan and his cohorts it looked like the BNP and Jamaat chiefs had ordered the attack so they could be in power for a longer time.
June 8th, 2007 at 4:37 am
What a joke! The country’s system of law and order has failed rest of the world, with the amount of fake/false cases has been filed in Bangladesh court is beyond imagination. “False land cases, fraud cases, false death threat cases, false theft cases and many other” is nothing new for Bangladesh court and its people. if you are a Lawyer, Police officer or Judge, Bangladesh is the right place for the job. Bangladesh top lawyers like Dr Kamal Hussain’s fees are lowest as 2 lakh Taka to make appointment, the rest you can imagine.
June 10th, 2007 at 8:38 am
MR.MUKUL
Please give the credit to former Prime minister
Madam Khaleda Zia.
June 11th, 2007 at 4:59 am
M.Sohra,
What about Madam Hasina? What makes you sure she doesn’t deserve one? on my behalf you give the credit to both of them.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:13 am
M.Sohra,
As we all know that Bangladesh has been abused, looted and raped by our politicians or political party activist. Even this present CT government has violated and abused the constitution which (you are very much in support) but I am not only one saying it, the rest of the world saying as well. As a Bangladeshi origin I know very well the systematical way of life so do you. In my previous comment I have highlighted Madam Hasina, the reason for your information: The Joint force of Bangladesh has recovered documents on sensational designs to damage image of the country abroad and rig election from the residence of Awami League Advisory Council member Mokammel Haque recently.
Informed sources said the documents include copies of Sheikh Hasina’s letter to US president George W Bush and the Embassy of the Netherlands, the party’s election planning, including a design for polls tampering, and names of partisan bureaucrats in the administration as well as their party affiliations.
Sheikh Hasina sent her letter to the US President on January 9 this year, the contents of Sheikh Hasina’s letter to the US President were full of elements damaging the country abroad. Contents of the letter were arranged in such a way that it could manoeuvre the Bush Administration in line with the AL.
The same letter was handed over to the Netherlands Embassy with a view to influencing its government to fuel anti-Bangladesh campaign in the Europe.
I believe the great leader and founder of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Daughter Sheikh Hasina needs more credits then as you suggested Khaleda Zia.