A Satkhira court has jailed 50 people, including a former BNP lawmaker, for varying terms over an attack on Sheikh Hasina’s motorcade in Satkhira in 2002.
Satkhira’s Chief Judicial Magistrate Humayun Kabir announced the verdict in the case on Thursday. Among the convicts, 34 were present in court when the judgment was delivered while the 16 others were shown absconding.
All of the accused are activists and workers of the BNP, with the former MP and two others facing 10 years in prison.
On Aug 30, 2002, Awami League chief Hasina went to Satkhira Central Hospital to visit a rape victim who was the wife of a freedom fighter.
Her motorcade was attacked in front of the Kalaroa Upazila BNP office, while she was on her way back to Dhaka. Aside from the bomb attack and vandalism of cars, gunshots were also fired at Hasina.
Central leaders of the Awami League accompanying Hasina along with local leaders, activists and journalists were all injured in the attack. Moslem Uddin, the then general secretary of Kolaroa Awami League, later sought to file a case over the incident with the Kolaroa police station but the law-enforcing agency refused to record it.
Moslem Uddin then filed a complaint with the Satkhira Court on Sept 21, 2014, more than a decade after the attack. The court subsequently ordered the police to start a case on the basis of the complaint.
On May 17, 2015, police submitted a charge-sheet against 27 people, including Habibul Islam Habib, the then BNP MP. But the defendants appealed to the High Court after the trial opened on Jul 10, 2017 after which the proceedings were stayed.
Satkhira’s Chief Judicial Magistrate Humayun Kabir announced the verdict in the case on Thursday. Among the convicts, 34 were present in court when the judgment was delivered while the 16 others were shown absconding.
All of the accused are activists and workers of the BNP, with the former MP and two others facing 10 years in prison.
On Aug 30, 2002, Awami League chief Hasina went to Satkhira Central Hospital to visit a rape victim who was the wife of a freedom fighter.
Her motorcade was attacked in front of the Kalaroa Upazila BNP office, while she was on her way back to Dhaka. Aside from the bomb attack and vandalism of cars, gunshots were also fired at Hasina.
Central leaders of the Awami League accompanying Hasina along with local leaders, activists and journalists were all injured in the attack. Moslem Uddin, the then general secretary of Kolaroa Awami League, later sought to file a case over the incident with the Kolaroa police station but the law-enforcing agency refused to record it.
Moslem Uddin then filed a complaint with the Satkhira Court on Sept 21, 2014, more than a decade after the attack. The court subsequently ordered the police to start a case on the basis of the complaint.
On May 17, 2015, police submitted a charge-sheet against 27 people, including Habibul Islam Habib, the then BNP MP. But the defendants appealed to the High Court after the trial opened on Jul 10, 2017 after which the proceedings were stayed.
Source: Online Desk
