The militants-executed terrible bomb explosion at Ramna Batamul in Sohrawardy Udyan in the capital on April 14 in 2001 took nine lives on the spot and another one in the hospital. Cases were filed under murder and explosive act over the brutal attack; however, even after passing 22 years of the incident, the trial process hasn’t been finished yet.

The murder case has been lingering for eight years for the settlement of death reference in the high court following the verdict of judge court. And the case over explosive act is still in trial in lower court. As the cases haven’t been settled in 22 years, many people associated with the cases had showed their anguish over the matter.

When asked about the cases, Attorney general AM Amin Uddin told The Bangladesh Pratidin, “The state is ready for the hearing, and the paperbook is also prepared. Now, the hearing of death reference of this important case will start if the Chief Justice fixes the bench.”

He said, “Due to the Corona lagged period, it wasn’t possible to hold hearing even after the paperbook is finalized. Already, the bench was changed a few times. After the vacation of Eid-ul-Fitr, we’ll apply to the Chief Justice to fix the bench for hearing.”

He expected that maximum punishment for the convicted would also be remaining same in the upcoming verdict.

Mohammad Saifur Rahman, the registrar of Appellate Division of Supreme Court, said, “The paperbook of this case has been prepared with highest priority. The Chief Justice will fix the bench very soon.”

According to the Dhaka Court sources, the case that was filed under explosive act is in trail under the seventh additional city judge court. After changing the court a few times, now it’s in trial in this court. The court fixed the day to testify the suspects under the 342 by laws of criminal act. However, due to safety reasons, it’s not being possible to present the suspects in before the court. Hence, the activities of the case have been halted more or less. According to the sources, after the snatching of two militants from the Dhaka court yard, the authorities are very cautious in bringing the militants to the court.

Additional public prosecutor of the concerned court, Mahabubur Rahman told The Bangladesh Pratidin, “The case is scheduled for examination of the accused under section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code. However, due to security reasons, the accused cannot be produced in the court. This lawyer of the state side also said that they were trying to test the accused through virtual means.”

Motahar Hossain Saju, a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court, who witnessed the trial for a long time, said lamentably, "People died in front of my eyes, my clothes were soaked in blood, I could not watch the trial of that incident even today, that's a pity!"

According to the details of the case, a bomb attack was carried out at Ramna Botmul on 14 April 2001 considering the Paola Baishakh event as 'anti-Islamic'. Nine people died on the spot in the attack. One later died in hospital. In this incident, Sergeant Amal Chandra of Nilkhet Police Station filed two cases under the murder and explosives act at Ramna Police Station on the same day. Almost eight years after the incident, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police filed a charge sheet in court accusing 14 people. In the discussed case, the investigation officers were repeatedly changed, filed supplementary charge sheets. Despite repeated urging, the investigation officers did not come to testify in the court. Hence, the start of the trial was delayed. The investigation of the case goes to police station, DB and CID police in stages. The eighth investigation officers of the case, Inspector Abu Hena Yusuf of CID filed the charge sheet in the court on November 30, 2008. The charge sheets of both the cases were filed together. Later, the two cases went to the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court on January 1, 2009 for trial. In that court, on April 16 of the same year, charges were framed against the accused in two separate cases.

According to the decision of the monitoring cell of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the murder case was sent to the Fast Track Tribunal-3 and the explosives act case was sent to the Fast Track Tribunal-1. After the trial, on June 23, 2014, the Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Court of Dhaka announced the verdict in the murder case. Eight people including Mufti Abdul Hannan were sentenced to death. Apart from this, life imprisonment was given to six accused. The court also imposed a fine of 50,000 taka on each of those sentenced to death and life imprisonment. Four of the 14 accused in this case have been absconding from the beginning. The case then came before the High Court to hold the hearing on death reference, the criminal and jail appeal of the accused men. 

@The report was published in Bengali on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on April 14 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque