Bangladesh News

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police is likely to submit charge sheet in the August 21, 2004 grenade attack case by the end of this month.

“We have almost completed our investigation. We will try to submit the charge sheet by this month,” said CID chief Javed Patwari while speaking with The Daily Star over the phone yesterday.

Asked how many people have so far been found to be involved in the attack, Patwari said, “It isn’t possible to give out the figure without going through the docket.”

The grisly grenade attack on August 21 of 2004 on an Awami League (AL) rally on Bangabandhu Avenue left 22 AL leaders and workers killed and scores of others wounded.

AL President Sheikh Hasina narrowly escaped the attack, but suffered serious ear problems.

The investigation into the attack changed course several times, but the present interim government now says it has unearthed the perpetrators of the attack.

The erstwhile CID investigator of the case, allegedly influenced by the then political government, came up with a fabricated story of the attacks. The CID then maintained that Mokhlesur Rahman, an AL ward commissioner in Maghbazar area, and several top-listed criminals were behind the carnage. They also attempted to feed the public the made up story through an ostensible confessional statement made by a petty criminal Joj Miah. In his statement, Joj Miah named Mokhlesur as one of the planners of the attack.

However, after the present government assumed power, the investigators found Islamist militant outfit Harkatul Jihad Al Islami (Huji)’s involvement in the attack. Mufti Abdul Hannan, chief of a section of the Huji and several other leaders and activists of the militant group have already confessed to the crime.

CID found out that fugitive militant leader Moulana Tajuddin, a brother of former deputy minister and BNP leader Abdus Salam Pintu, supplied the grenades used in the attacks. Following the findings, the CID has already arrested Pintu.

Nur Mohammad, the inspector general of police, told reporters yesterday that punitive measures would be taken against any police official who is found to be negligent in conducting the investigation of the case.