76kg Bomb Recovery in Gopalganj
Police failure delays disposal of case
Says special public prosecutor
Court could not dispose of the 76kg bomb recovery case due to failure of police to produce any prosecution witness before it in 45 consecutive dates during the last one year.
Syed Samsul Haq Badal, special public prosecutor of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-2 of Dhaka, said this while he was talking to The Daily Star yesterday.
The 76kg bomb was recovered at the Sheikh Lutfor Rahman Ideal College under Kotalipara upazila in Gopalganj on July 21 in 2000 which was planted aiming to kill the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was supposed to address a rally there the next day.
Badal said police did not take any serious step to produce witnesses before the court for the last one year even though the tribunal summoned them on each date.
Badal said he would be serious from now on to produce witnesses before the court for quick disposal of the case.
Court sources said the case which was pending with Gopalganj District and Sessions Judge's Court was shifted to the tribunal on August 18 last year for its quick disposal following a home ministry order.
Since then the public prosecutor had been submitting prayers for adjournment of the hearing on every date on the same ground that witness could not appear before it due to illness. But the prosecution could not mention in his petition who could not appear before it.
The last date of recording statement of witness Abdul Hannan Howlader by Gopalganj District and Sessions Judge's Court was on July 27 in 2005.
The Gopalgonj court, however, recorded statement of 41 prosecution witnesses, including complainant of the case.
Meantime, Judge Dewan Mohammad Shafiullh yesterday adjourned the hearing of the case till August 11 following a time petition from the prosecution saying that witness could not appear before it due to illness.
All the nine accused, including Harkatul Jihad Chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, now in custody, were produced before the court yesterday. Besides, all the detained accused were produced before the court on every scheduled date.
Hannan's brother Anisul Islam alias Anis, now on bail, was also present in the court while 15 other Huji leaders and activists remained absconding since the case was filed.
A high police official, on condition of anonymity, yesterday told The Daily Star that on every scheduled date, additional police have to deploy on the court premises to avoid any untoward incident.
Following the recovery of the 76 kg bomb, Sub-Inspector Nur Hossain of Kotalipara police filed a case under the Explosive Substances Act on July 21, 2000.
Criminal Investigation Department submitted the charge sheet against Mufti Hannan and 24 others on April 8 in 2001, showing 83 people as prosecution witnesses.
The Gopalganj District and Sessions Judge's Court framed charges against Hannan and 24 others on July 2 the same year.
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