Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said in the Jatiya Sangsad that BNP leader Tarique Rahman and 14 other convicts of the August 21, 2004 grenade attack case are fugitives.

“Thirty four convicts were arrested while 15 others, including Tarique Rahman alias Tarique Zia are fugitives out of 49," she told the parliament while replying to a question from treasury bench lawmaker Farida Yasmin (Women Seat-35) during the question-answer session, BSS reports.

Sheikh Hasina, also the Leader of the House, said a total of 49 accused got various sentences that include capital punishment and life-term in the trial of the grenade attack case in Dhaka’s Speedy Trial Tribunal No-1 on October 10, 2018.

“Of the convicts, 19 were sentenced to death, 19 others to life imprisonment while the rest 11 to various jail terms,” she added.

Hasina said that interpol served red notices on convicted accused Maulana Tajuddin, Harris Chowdhury and Ratul Ahmed Babu alias Ratul Babu who are absconding abroad.

"Efforts are on to arrest the fugitive accused," she added.  

Responding to another question from Awami League lawmaker Anwar Hossain Khan (Laxmipur-1), the Prime Minister said her government has prepared a project for 15 lightning-prone districts with a target to stop losses of lives due to lightning.

She also said that the proposed project suggesting installation of some 6,793 lightning rods/ lightning protection canopies has already been sent to the Planning Commission.

In reply to another question from Awami League lawmaker Md Mainul Hossain Khan (Dhaka-14), Sheikh Hasina said an initiative has been taken to establish a state-of-the-art national emergency operation centre on one acre of land in the capital’s Tejgaon area with the cooperation of China to deal with earthquakes and other mega disasters.

The implementation work will begin by formulating a project for this building that can withstand an 8-magnitude earthquake on Richter scale, she said.

Answering a question from independent lawmaker Abdullah Nahid Niger (Gaibandha-1), she said the tribunals set up after 2009 to try crimes against humanity and war criminals have so far disposed of 56 cases and 153 accused were sentenced to death or with different jail terms.

The Prime Minister said the present government has relentlessly been working to establish the rule of law by guaranteeing fair trials to reduce the suffering of the justice seekers.

The government is committed to ensuring justice on the basis of equality for all, irrespective of the rich and poor, and establishing justice in society by making visible development in the judiciary, she said.

bd-pratidin/GR