Today declare the bust boom justice

The judge set the day of judgment on the sensational cases after he wrapped up hearing arguments of both sides on Sept 18.
After the assassination of Bangabandhu along with most other members of his family on Aug 15, 1975, the grenade attack targeting his daughter Sheikh Hasina is the biggest hit on the Awami League, the party which led the nation in the Liberation War.

Hasina, now the prime minister, was the leader of the opposition at the time of the attack. And the then prime minister of the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami coalition government, Khaleda Zia, is in jail after her conviction in a corruption case.

The state has alleged that the then top leaders of the BNP-Jamaat alliance backed the attack purportedly carried out by militant group Harkat-ul Jihad-al-Islam or HuJI to render the Awami League leaderless by killing its chief Hasina. The Arges grenades used in the attack were brought from Pakistan.

The Awami League alleges that there were attempts during the BNP-Jamaat government to divert the course of investigation into the killings.

The ‘truth’ about the attack started to come out in the reinvestigation during the caretaker government after 2007. The ‘Joj Mia Drama’ was revealed.

The BNP denies any link to the attack. It alleges the government had Tarique charged in the cases after further investigation to make political gains.

Besides BNP chief Khaleda’s son Tarique, the then home minister Lutfozzaman Babar, Khaleda’s former political secretary Harris Chowdhury, former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu and his brother HuJI leader Mawlana Tajuddin, Khaleda’s nephew Saiful Islam Duke, and several top officials of the National Security Intelligence or NSI and police are accused in the cases.

As many as 38 of the 49 accused are accused in both cases – one for the killings and other under the Explosives Act.

Tarique and 37 other defendants face up to death penalty and 11 government officials maximum seven years in jail if the court finds them guilty of the charges under the Bangladesh Penal Code and the Explosives Act.

Three other accused, former minister and Jamaat secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and HuJI leaders Mufti Abdul Hannan and Sharif Shahedul Alam alias Bipul have been hanged after convictions in other cases.

Twenty-three of the accused were already in jail and the tribunal ordered to send eight others to jail cancelling their bail after the hearing of arguments ended.

The trial had continued with the 18 other accused, including Tarique, absconding.

After the end of the hearing, the defence claimed the prosecution had failed to provide any evidence to establish the involvement of the accused with the attack and demanded acquittal of all the defendants.

Syed Rezaur Rahman
Syed Rezaur Rahman

The chief state counsel, Syed Rezaur Rahman, said the involvement of the accused in the attack was described in the witnesses’ depositions. He demanded maximum penalty of the accused claiming the charges were proved.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said they saw no security threat centring the verdict. The law enforcers, however, will stay alert for the verdict, he added.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader also asked the leaders and activists of the ruling party to remain alert.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said they would decide on programmes after the verdict.

TARGET HASINA

Hasina narrowly escaped death in the attack believed to be an assassination attempt on her when she was the leader of the opposition.

The grenades began exploding, accompanied by gunfire, as Hasina, after wrapping up her address, was stepping off a truck, which was used as a dais at the rally. Detectives said 13 to 14 grenades were detonated.

Security personnel and party men formed a human wall around Hasina and got her to her car and took her away.

She suffered hearing problems in the attack.
The then government formed a one-member investigation committee comprising of High Court Justice Jainul Abedin. The Awami League rejected his probe report.

An investigation team formed by the Supreme Court Bar Association, led by Dr Kamal Hossain, also issued a report that said Hasina was the prime target of the attack.

She recently said she strongly believed Khaleda’s family were involved in the grenade attack.

The BNP said Hasina’s comments on the issue ‘proved’ that the government was trying to influence the verdict.

‘DIVERTING COURSE OF PROBE’

The first three investigation officers of the case -- CID special superintendent Ruhul Amin, and two ex-CID ASPs Munshi Atiqur Rahman and Abdur Rashid – are also among the accused now.

Joj Mia
Joj Mia

Abdul Kahar Akand
Abdul Kahar Akand

The three investigation officers are accused of attempts to divert the investigation by showing Joj Mia as the attacker.
CID's assistant police superintendent Fazlul Kabir pressed charges against 22 people in June, 2008 -- during the caretaker government -- although the investigation made no progress during the BNP-Jamaat government.

After the Awami League came to power in 2009, investigator Abul Kahar Akand filed a supplementary charge-sheet accusing 30 more including Tarique, Babar and Mujaheed.

Those newly included in the charge sheet were indicted and their trial started in 2011.

Ivy Rahman
Ivy Rahman

THE VICTIMS
Bangladesh Mohila Awami League President Ivy Rahman and 23 other leaders and activists were killed and over 500 injured in the attack in front of the Awami League headquarters.

Among the others killed were the party’s Dhaka Metropolitan unit’s adviser Rafiqul Islam.

Hasina’s security team member Lance Corporal (retd) Mahbubur Rashid was also killed.

The other victims are: Awami League’s central sub-committee Deputy Secretary Mostak Ahmed Sentu, Women Awami League leaders Sufia Begum and Hasina Mamtaz, Madaripur Juba League leader Liton Munshi, Ratan Sikdar from Narayanganj, Dhaka Mohanagar Rickshaw Shramil League leader Md Hanif, Nazrul Islam College student Mamun Mridha, Juba League leaders Aminul Islam, Atik Sarkar and Shamsuddin Abul Kalam Azad, Swechhasebak League leader Razia Begum and activist Abdul Kuddus Patwari, Shramik League activists Nasir Uddin Sardar, Abul Kashem, Jahid Ali, Momin Ali and Ishaq Miyah.

THE ACCUSED

Out of the 52 accused, Jamaat leader Mujaheed was hanged for war crimes in 2015.

HuJI leaders Hannan and Bipul were executed last year for terrorism.

Tarique masterminded the attack and helped the attackers escape by providing administrative support, according to the charges brought against the BNP leader.

Accused in dozens of cases, the BNP acting chief has been in London for a decade. He was earlier sentenced to seven years in jail for money laundering and 10 years for corruption in Zia Orphanage Trust.

In the Aug 21 grenade attack cases, he and 37 others are accused of criminal conspiracy to kill, financing, advising and abetting in the killings by providing explosives, for which the maximum penalty is death.

Harris Chowdhury and Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad
Harris Chowdhury and Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad

Mohammad Hanif and Mawlana Tajuddin
Mohammad Hanif and Mawlana Tajuddin

The 37 other accused include Babar, Pintu, Harris, former MP and BNP leader Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad, Hanif Enterprise’s owner Mohammad Hanif, former ward commissioner and BNP leader Ariful Islam Arif, and former NSI chiefs Abdur Rahim and Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury.

The others are HuJI leaders Abdul Malek alias Golam Mohammad alias GM, Sheikh Abdus Salam, a Kashmiri named Abdul Majed Bhat, Abdul Hannan alias Sabbir, Mohammad Khalil, Mawlana Abdur Rauf alias Pir Saheb, Mawlana Shawkat Osman alias Sheikh Farid, Hafez Mawlana Yahiya, Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Mufti Abdul Hye, Babu alias Ratul Babu, Mufti Hannan’s brother Muhibullah Mofizur Rahman alias Ovi, Mawlana Abu Sayeed alias Dakter Zafar, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul, Md Zahangir Alam, Hafez Mawlana Abu Taher, Shahadat Ullah alias Jewel, Hossain Ahmed Tamim, Mainuddin Sheikh alias Abu Jandal, Arif Hasan Sumon, Md Rafiqul Islam Sabuj, Md Ujjol alias Ratan, Pintu’s brother Mawlana Tajuddin, Mohibul Muttakin, Anisul Mursalin, Zahangir Alam Badr, Md Iqbal, Abu Bakr alias Hafez Selim Hawlader and Mawlana Liton.
The 11 government officials are charged with harbouring the accused and destroying evidence.

They are former inspectors general of police Md Ashraful Huda, Shahudul Haque and Khuda Baksh Chowdhory, former DGFI director ATM Amin Ahmad, Khaleda’s nephew Saiful Islam Duke, sacked lieutenant col Saiful Islam Joarder, former police deputy commissioners Md Obaidur Rahman and Sayeed Hasan, and investigators CID special superintendent Ruhul Amin, and two ex-CID ASPs Munshi Atiqur Rahman and Abdur Rashid.

The 18 absconding are Tarique, Harris, Amin, Joarder, Kaikobad, Hanif, Sayeed, Obaidur, Tajuddin, Muttakin, Mursalin, Khalil, Badr, Iqbal, Abdul Hye, Liton, Shafiqur, and Ratul.

Some of them are purportedly behind bars abroad.

Police believe Tajuddin is either in South Africa or Pakistan while Harris is shuttling between Malaysia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Ratul is also in South Africa.

Kaikobad is believed to be in the Middle East, Hanif in Thailand or Malaysia, Amin in the US, Joarder in Canada, and Obaidur and Sayeed in Pakistan or Malaysia.

Militants Mursalin and Mohibul are in jail in India, officials believe.

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