All accused, including Barrister Shakila Farzana, acquitted in Ctg militant hideout case

A Chattogram court today (10 March) acquitted all accused, including Barrister Shakila Farzana, in a decade-old case related to the discovery of a militant hideout and training centre in the remote hills of Chattogram's Bashkhali. 

Judge Md Abdul Halim of the Chattogram Anti-Terrorism Tribunal delivered the verdict. 

Confirming the acquittal, Public Prosecutor of the court Advocate Abdus Sattar said the prosecution faced significant difficulties during the judicial proceedings. 

"None of the listed witnesses appeared in court, despite multiple summons and warrants being issued. The failure to present witnesses severely weakened the case. After 10 years of legal proceedings, the court ultimately ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations, leading to the acquittal of all accused," he added.

During the pronouncement of the verdict, 20 of the accused were present in court, while five remain absconding and two have passed away. 

The tribunal's bench assistant Md Borat Chowdhury said the court had no choice but to issue an acquittal due to insufficient evidence.

Among the acquitted accused, Barrister Shakila Farzana is the daughter of former MP of Hathazari constituency and late BNP leader Sayed Wahidul Alam. BNP leaders had long been alleging that Barrister Shakila was intentionally implicated in the case.  

The case dates back to 22 February 2015, when RAB-7 conducted a raid on what initially appeared to be a livestock farm in the Lotmoni hills of Bashkhali. However, inside the facility, authorities discovered a terrorist training centre, complete with bunkers, a firing range, and military parade grounds. 

Upon searching the area, RAB seized a large cache of weapons, including three advanced AK-22 rifles, six foreign pistols, a revolver, three locally made guns, magazines, 751 rounds of ammunition, machetes, walkie-talkies, and military uniforms. 

Five individuals were arrested from the site during the raid. 

The following day, RAB filed a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act against ten individuals. 

Later, during the investigation, the case expanded to include 28 accused. 
On 20 March 2016, the investigating officer, RAB-7 ASP Md Ruhul Amin, submitted a charge sheet, naming Moniruzzaman, the leader of the militant group Hamza Brigade, Barrister Shakila Farzana, and 26 others. 

A total of 41 witnesses were listed for the trial.

Documents from the case reveal that the site had been a militant recruitment and training centre, disguised as a livestock farm. RAB previously stated in a press briefing that young men from poor families across various districts were brought to the camp under false promises of employment. Once there, they were shown videos of Muslim persecution worldwide to radicalise and train them for extremist activities. 

Despite the extensive raid, RAB was unable to capture the primary trainers and key militant leaders behind the operation. 

Following the verdict, legal experts and law enforcement officials have expressed concern over the lack of witness testimony in such a significant case, raising questions about the challenges in prosecuting terrorism-related offenses in Bangladesh.