A Dhaka court today deferred to July 12 the hearing on a government petition seeking further investigation into the August 21 grenade attacks on an Awami League rally.
Judge Masdar Hossain of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 passed the order upon a time petition submitted by former deputy minister and BNP leader Abdus Salam Pintu.
After a brief hearing on the petition, the judge earlier fixed today for full hearing.
The state lawyer on June 25 submitted a prayer to the court for further investigating the attack that aimed to assassinate AL President Sheikh Hasina in 2004, saying expert and influential people who had supplied the grenades have still remained untraced.
The grisly attack on Hasina's rally on Bangabandhu Avenue killed 23 AL leaders and workers and maimed over 300.
The Criminal Investigation Department, which investigated the two cases filed in connection with the sensational incident, submitted charge sheets in June last year, accusing 21 members of Harkatul Jihad Al Islami (Huji) including its top leader Mufti Abdul Hannan and former deputy minister of BNP-led government Abdus Salam Pintu.
In its earlier probe, however, the CID had not found any proof that the banned Islamist outfit Huji or anyone from BNP were involved in the attack.
The first group of CID investigators rather confidently pointed fingers to a student named Shaibal Saha Partha and later claimed involvement also of some criminal groups and a field level leader of the AL itself.
They also obtained confessional statements from Joj Miah, Abul Hashem alias Rana and Shafiqul Islam.
Latest investigations, however, found the accusations were wrong and the confessions were obtained using force.
Some of these prominent CID investigators are now facing charges for their offences.
Source: thedailystar.net
