Huji leader Abu Zandal appeals to be discharged
Mufti Moinuddin Sheikh alias Abu Zandal, a leader of Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji), appealed to a Dhaka court yesterday, to discharge him from the August 21 grenade attack cases.
Earlier, 11 accused, including Huji chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, had given confessional statements disclosing names of Abu Zandal and others for their alleged involvement with the attacks.
Twenty-four people, including Awami League (AL) leader Ivy Rahman, were killed and around 200 others injured in the grisly grenade attack on an AL rally at Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004.
The Huji leader submitted the discharge petition before the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 when it resumed the hearing on charge framing against the accused, including BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman.
Earlier on the day, the counsel for former officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) concluded his submissions in support of discharging his clients from the grenade attack cases.
The petitioners are former ASPs Munshi Atiqur Rahman and Abdur Rashid, and former special SP Ruhul Amin, who also investigated the grenade attack cases.
According to the prosecution, during the BNP-led four-party alliance rule, the then CID investigators tried to mislead the probe to save real culprits.
They falsely implicated one Joj Miah and forced him to give a confessional statement to a magistrate implicating other top listed criminals.
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