50 jailed for attack on PM Hasina’s convoy

50 persons have been jailed for different terms in the case of 2002’s attack on the convoy of then-opposition leader and current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Three persons including former BNP lawmaker Habibul Islam Habib have been jailed for 10 years and 47 others have been jailed for different terms.

Satkhira Chief Judicial Magistrate Humayun Kabir delivered the verdict on Thursday.

On August 30, 2002, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was returning to Magura from visiting a freedom fighter's wife in Satkhira when her convoy got attacked in Kalaroa.

Hasina survived the attack relatively unscathed but many of the Awami League leaders including District Awami League convener Engineer Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Central Awami League leader Fatema Zaman Sathi, Abdul Matin, Jobaidul Haque Russell and Shahidul Haque Jibon were injured. Several journalists from Satkhira were also attacked.

At the same time, Kalaroa’s commander of freedom fighters Mohammad Moslem Uddin filed a case against 27 for the attack which was later dismissed due to not being recorded at the police station.

The case got reopened on 15th October in 2014 and investigating officer of that time pressed charges against 50 accused in this connection.