DHAKA, Oct 30, 2017 (BSS) – The prosecution during the hearing of August 21 grenade attack case today said the then BNP-Jamaat alliance government had directly aided the gruesome crime in 2004.
“The government and administration directly aided, conspired, planned and provided overall support for the crime, resulting in huge number of casualties,” chief prosecutor of the case Syed Rezaur Rahman told today while placing closing arguments for fourth day.
The chief prosecutor today argued on the connection of different accused with the barbaric crime. He pointed out the fact that executed HuJI chief Mufti Hannan and his associate Bipul had confessed their involvement with the attack after getting arrested in another case, “…but still they were not shown arrested in this case at the primary stage,” Rahman said.
“They tried to hide the real criminals and divert the case to a wrong way by implicating innocent like Joj Miah,” he added.
The chief prosecutor said the attack was aimed at Awami League President and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but she narrowly survived the attack.
Syed Rezaur Rahman named the people, who were in the administration at that time and accused of collecting grenades for the attack, aiding criminals to flee the scene, helping one of the chief orchestrators of the attack Mawlana Tazuddin to escape the country using fake name, and placed arguments on their crimes.
“Then deputy commissioner (DC) of police’s south zone Khan Sayeed Hasan didn’t take appropriate security measures on the place of occurrence. DC (east) Obaidur Rahman Khan too played same role. He didn’t bother to preserve the live grenades, which were used in the attack, after seizing those,” the chief prosecutor said.
He also placed arguments on the crimes of former state-minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Babar, deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu, Major General (retd) ATM Amin, Lt Colonel (sacked) Saiful Islam Joarder, Lt Commander (retd) Saiful Islam Duke, former IGP Khoda Boksh Chowdhury, former investigation officers Special Superintendant Ruhul Amin, Senior ASP Munshi Atikur Rahman and ASP Abdur Rashid.
A total of 225 prosecution witnesses testified in the case, while 20 witnesses were produced by the defence.
The attack was carried out on an anti-terrorism rally of Awami League, aimed at killing the front ranking leaders including its President Sheikh Hasina to eliminate the party leaderships.
A total of 24 AL leaders and workers including the then Mohila Awami League President and wife of late President Zillur Rahman, Ivy Rahman, were killed and 500 others were injured.