19 including Babar get death penalty, Tarique sentenced life term

Staff Correspondent: 19 persons including former State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar and former Deputy Minister Abdus Salam Pintu have been awarded with death penalty and 19 persons including BNP ledaer Tarique Rahman have been sentenced life term in two cases lodged over the August 21, 2004 grisly grenade attack on an Awami League rally.

Judge Shahed Nur Udin of Dhaka 1st Speedy Trial Tribunal passed the order on Wednesday amid heightened security.
 

Earlier around 11:30am, 31 accused including Babar and Pintu were taken to the court in old Dhaka from the Kashimpur High Security Prison in Gazipur in a prison van.

Earlier on September 18, the verdict was kept awaiting after both the prosecution and the defence completed their arguments.

 

A total of 24 Awami League leaders and activists, including Mohila Awami League president Ivy Rahman, were killed and more than 300 others were injured in the grisly attack on Bangabandhu Avenue. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was the opposition leader in parliament at that time, narrowly escaped the attack with an ear injury.

 

The grenade attack was carried out during the tenure of the then BNP-Jamaat-led government aiming at assassinating Hasina. The attack, one of the most shocking political crimes in the country's history, was allegedly masterminded by some BNP leaders.

The erstwhile government had allegedly made efforts to bury the truth and protect the masterminds by derailing the investigation. It even tried to put the blame on the AL.

risingbd/Dhaka/Oct 10, 2018/Mamun Khan/Maksud/Mukul