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Download PDF A Sylhet court has issued fresh summons on four prosecution witnesses (PWs), including a deputy secretary, for recording depositions in the sensational case for grenade attack on British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury here in 2004.
In absence of the judge of Sylhet Division Speedy Trial Tribunal, District and Sessions Judge Abdul Gafur issued the summons on Thursday. He fixed December 18 for deposition of PWs including these four. Deposition of 44 PWs out of 57 in the case has already been recorded.
The PWs summoned afresh are deputy secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates’ welfare Shafique Anwar (former metropolitan magistrate of Dhaka), Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Baniachang Nurey Alam Siddique (former class I magistrate of Sylhet), Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Munshiganj Sadar thana SA Newaji (former OC of Sylhet Kotwali thana) and Emergency Medical Officer at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital Dr Kamrul Alam.
Earlier on November 22, the Speedy Trial Tribunal judge issued warrant of arrest against the 13 PWS as they had failed to appear for deposition on the previous dates.
Of them, four appeared in the tribunal on November 27 but their deposition could not be recorded as the accused were on remand in another case in the capital.
Special Public Prosecutor of the Speedy Trial Tribunal Fakhruddin Ahmed said the process of trial has been delayed for various reasons.
Giving details, he said a number of prosecution witnesses did not turn up despite repeated summons from the tribunal in recent months. The charge sheet given by the CID also contains a number of flaws, including incomplete and incorrect addresses of the witnesses and others. Besides, the accused persons were repeatedly taken to the capital recently.
Faizur Rahman Zahed, APP at the Additional District and Sessions Judge’s Court, also expressed similar views.
Deposition could not be recorded for days in November as the prime accused outlawed Harkat ul Jihad (Huji) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan could not be brought to Sylhet from Dhaka. Along with others, Hannan was taken to the capital for quizzing in the August 21 grenade attack on Sheikh Hasina.
The Bangladesh-born British high commissioner and 70 others were hurt in the grenade attack that left three persons killed on May 21 in 2004 on the premises of the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA).
Officials from the Scotland Yard, UK, later visited the spot.
Days after the incident, the cases were transferred to the CID as police failed to find clues to it. The CID filed two charge sheets — one under the explosives act and the other for killing. The accused include Mufti Abdul Hannan, his brother Mofizur Rahman and Huji operatives Delwar Hossain Ripon and Sharif Shahedul Alam alias Bipul.
Meanwhile, trial in the case under explosives act is going on in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Ferdous Ahmed.
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