Dhaka, Sept 17 – Placing arguments on some points of law, the prosecution yesterday formally completed their closing arguments in the August 21 grenade attack cases. Completing arguments on the cases, Syed Rezaur Rahman, Chief Prosecutor of the cases, appealed to the court to give the highest punishment to the accused who were involved with committing such offences.
Syed Rezaur Rahman submitted two separate petitions for sending eight accused including three inspectors general of police (IGPs), now on bail, to jail cancelling their bail.
They are former IGPs Ashraful Huda, Shahudul Haque and Khoda Baksh Chowdhury, three former Criminal Investigation Department officials: SP Ruhul Amin, former CID ASPs Munshi Atiqur Rahman and Abdur Rashid, former Dhaka City Corporation Ward Commissioner Ariful Islam Arif and Lt Commander (retired) Saiful Islam Duke, also nephew of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
At the outset of the hearing on points of law for the fifth day, on Monday, Rezaur Rahman said the accused had held meetings at 10 places in the capital before carrying out the grenade attacks.
He further said none of the accused was implicated in the cases politically, adding that they were brought under trial on specific charges.
At least 24 people were killed and around 300 injured in the attack on an Awami League rally in the capital’s Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004. Sheikh Hasina, the then opposition leader in parliament, narrowly escaped the attack with an ear injury.
Following the incident, two cases were filed against 49 people with Motijheel Police Station, one for murder and another under the Explosive Substances Act.
The trial of the cases had begun at the same tribunal in 2012. The court is conducting the trial of both the cases simultaneously.
After the prosecution’s closing arguments, defence lawyer SM Shahjahan cited different rulings and decisions of higher courts in Bangladesh and India which gave a good conclusion on further investigation.
As Shahjahan could not complete arguments, Judge Shahed Nuruddin of Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 set tomorrow for hearing the closing arguments.
Of the 49 accused in the two cases, 23 people, including former BNP ministers Lutfozzaman Babar and Abdus Salam Pintu, are in jail; eight, including three former inspectors general of police, are on bail; and 18, including Tarique Rahman, are shown as on the run. – Special Correspondent
