14th anniversary of Aug 17 series blasts today

Desk Report: Today’s date was a terrifying day for Bangladesh, the 14th anniversary of series bomb attacks in the country, which was carried out by Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

On this day in 2005, the members of banned outfit JMB carried out a series of attacks in around 500 places of 63 districts out of 64. Munshiganj was the only district that was spared. The incident claimed two lives, and left 200 others injured.

The 30-minute mayhem started at 11:30am killing one in Chapainawabganj, and another in Savar while the injured were scattered across the country.

In the attacks, 159 cases were lodged across the country, 18 in Dhaka alone. Police named 1,072 people in 142 charge sheets.

The courts have so far sentenced 322 people to various punishments, while 358 of them were released; as per Police headquarter’s data from September 2018.

JMB top leaders – its chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman, his- second-in-command Siddiqul Islam Bangla Bhai, military commander Ataur Rahman Sunny, think-tank Abdul Awal, Khaled Saifullah, and Salahuddin were hanged on March 30 in 2007 in the case of the killing of two judges in Jhalokathi district.

risingbd/Aug 17, 2019/Mukul