Hasina didn't mention Tarique in her testimony for 21 Aug attack case: BNP lawyers

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, the main target of the 21 August grenade attack, did not mention the name of BNP's acting chairman Tarique Rahman in her testimony for the case filed over the attack, BNP lawyers said today (1 December). 

"The case was politically driven against Tarique Rahman and BNP," said Barrister Kaiser Kamal, the party's legal secretary, while talking to the media at the court premises following the High Court's verdict. 

He said, "This case was politically carried out against Tarique Rahman and BNP. When Sheikh Hasina Wazed gave her statement under Section 161 [of The Code of Criminal Procedure], Tarique Rahman's name was not mentioned there either. 

"The state machinery was used for political purposes to implicate Tarique Rahman in this case after they [Awami League] came to power," Kaiser Kamal added. 

BNP's legal secretary said there is no evidence in the case when everything is considered. 

"The second confession made by Mufti Hannan has no value as evidence, and no witness has named Tarique Rahman either. Considering all these factors, the court has acquitted everyone, including Tarique Rahman," he added. 

The High Court (HC) today scrapped the verdict of the lower court in the two cases filed over the 21 August grenade attack, acquitting all convicts, including BNP's acting chairman Tarique Rahman and former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar. 

The bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the judgment this morning.

Present in the courtroom during the verdict were Zainul Abedin, BNP's vice chairman and senior lawyer, and BNP Chairperson's Advisor and President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon.

Zainul Abedin, also the president of the Nationalist Lawyers' Forum, said, "Tarique Rahman's name was not mentioned anywhere in the charge sheet. Later, Abdul Kahar Akand [the last investigating officer] was used to implicate Tarique Rahman in the case and arrange his conviction.

"No one can be sentenced to death or life imprisonment without direct testimony. After analysing all the aspects, the court felt that those who had appealed and those who couldn't appeal should all be acquitted," he added. 

"Awami League used this case politically as they wanted to keep Tarique Rahman out of the country for life with political intentions. They even wanted to sentence him to death. The court found no evidence to justify a death sentence for Tarique Rahman," BNP vice chairman said. 

"Through today's verdict, neither the death sentence nor life imprisonment remains for anyone," he added. 

Events that led to today's HC verdict

On 21 August 2004, the grenade attack was carried out, targeting a rally of the Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital. The attack, which took place during the tenure of the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami coalition government, killed 24 people, including then Awami League women's affairs secretary Ivy Rahman.

On 10 October 2018, Judge Shahed Nuruddin of Dhaka's First Speedy Trial Tribunal sentenced 19 people to death, including BNP leaders Babar and Abdus Salam Pintu, in the two cases filed over the grenade attack.

Besides, 19 others, including Tarique, were sentenced to life imprisonment. Another 11 were sentenced to different terms of imprisonment.

Later that year, on 27 November, the trial court's judgment and all necessary documents reached the death reference wing of the High Court. The imprisoned accused appealed against the verdicts of the court.

In December 2022, a High Court bench led by Justice Sahidul Karim began hearing the appeals, jail petitions and death references. The bench was reconstituted between the hearings, and the new bench restarted the hearing.