Court Correspondent :
The prosecution at the hearing of August 21 grenade attack case yesterday claimed they were able to prove the charges against the accused in the case beyond any doubt.
“All of them were involved in the planning of the attack, executing the plan, destroying the evidences and attempting to protect the attackers. We have been able to prove the charges beyond any reasonable doubt,” prosecutor Akram Uddin Shyamol said while placing legal arguments before the 1st Speedy Trial Tribunal of Dhaka yesterday.
The court has been simultaneously holding hearing of the two cases, one for the murder and the other under the explosives substances act, filed over the incident that took place in August 21, 2004. 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 injured in the attack. On Wednesday, special public prosecutor Md Abdullah Abu and prosecutor Shyamol concluded placing their arguments on legal points. Later, Chief Prosecutor Syed Rezaur Rahman started to place his legal arguments and Judge Shahed Nur Uddin adjourned the hearing till September 17 as the counsel could not conclude on Wednesday. “The main aim of the attack was to eliminate the leadership of Awami League and to consolidate the power of then BNP-Jamaat alliance government and making their reign everlasting,” special public prosecutor Abu said.
The total number of the accused in the cases is 52. Of those, three including Mufti Abdul Hannan have been executed in other cases and their names have been dropped. Of the 49 accused, 18 are yet to be arrested and were tried in absentia.
Of the accused, 23 including former State Minister Lutfuzzaman Babar and Deputy Minister Abdus Salam Pintu are in the jail. A total of 225 prosecution witnesses have been examined in the cases.
