Charges were finally pressed yesterday in the sensational August 21 grenade attack case against 22 persons including top Harkat-ul-Jihad (Huji) leader Mufti Abdul Hannan and BNP leader and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu.| Investigators of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have found now that the only target of the attack was to assassinate Hasina. The arrested Huji leaders confessed to trying to kill her because she is "harmful" for Islam. |
Investigators of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have, however, found now that the only target of the attack was to assassinate Hasina as the arrested Huji leaders confessed to trying to kill her because she is "harmful" for Islam.
Although Hasina escaped with injuries, the attack left 24 AL leaders, including Ivy Rahman, and workers killed and 300 others injured, many of them maimed forever. An investigation was conducted under the direct supervision of Lutfozzaman Babar, state minister for home at that time, and 20 persons including a student, Shaibal Saha Partha, and AL leader and ward commissioner Mokhlesur Rahman were arrested. Interestingly, none of these arrestees who had to undergo a lot of harassment and tortures were found guilty in the latest investigation.
| The present administration found that those confessional statements were obtained using force. The CID investigators and the supervising officer involved were found to have paid Joj Miah's family a few thousand taka monthly. |
The one-member judicial probe committee of Justice Joynul Abedin even pointed out a foreign "enemy" country's involvement in the incident. The charge sheet submitted yesterday has nothing in this regard.
Disclosing the content of the charge sheet at a press briefing yesterday, CID Chief Additional Inspector General Jabed Patwari said Huji top leaders planned and carried out the attacks to kill Hasina as a few arrested attackers said in their confessional statements that Hasina would harm Islam if she was alive and came to power again.
BNP leader Pintu is not involved with Huji but he has been charged since the attackers had held two meetings at his residence to take decision about the attack. "Pintu admitted that he heard about the meetings and saw the persons who went to his house for the meetings," the CID chief told the press at his office. Apart from Pintu all other attackers on the charge sheet are Huji leaders and activists.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate AKM Enamul Haque accepted the charge sheet submitted at noon and issued arrest warrants against the fugitives. The court also ordered the authorities to discharge the arrested 20 persons made accused in the case earlier as investigators said they did not find their involvement and prayed to the court for clearing them of the charges.
CID Chief Jabed Patwari said although Joj Miah, Hashem and Shafiqul gave confessional statements, those had no basis and no corporative evidence was found to support their statements. Asked if any legal action would be taken against those who obtained the statements, he said the court would decide the matter.
Investigation officers CID ASPs Munshi Atiqur Rahman and Abdur Rashid and supervising officer CID Special Superintendent Ruhul Amin have retired from the service, so the police cannot take any departmental action against them, he said.