BANGLADESH

The opposition has alleged that the state minister for law is influencing the trial of the Aug 21 grenade attack cases with his statements about the deposition of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami's Bangladesh operations chief Mufti Hannan.

Speaking at a human chain programme in front of the National Press Club on Saturday, pro-BNP lawyer leader Rafiqul Islam Miah said, "The minister has broken his constitutional oath by commenting directly on the Aug 21 case which is under consideration of the court."

"He has influenced the court with his statements which amounts to interfering with the judiciary. The state minister called journalists to his office to talk about a case under consideration of the court which he cannot do," he added.

BNP has been claiming that implicating Tarique Rahman in the case is part of a 'conspiracy' against the opposition.

Rafiqul, also a standing committee member of the opposition party, said, "Mufti Hannan appealed to the court on Tuesday [Sep 27] saying that the statement under Section 164 is not his but one prepared by the government."

"The state has no right to force anyone to give testimony. Statements under Section 164 cannot be recorded per force," he added quoting from a previous court verdict by justice Hamidul Haque Chowdhury.

"Mufti Hannan appealed to withdraw his statement through his lawyer which the court has recorded. The court is supposed to handle the matter. Why is the state minister for law talking about it?" the senior lawyer said and hinted that the minister had a hand in the creation of the statement.

He added that the graft case filed against the opposition leader over the Zia Charitable Trust is also 'baseless'.

Party's acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sep 28 said the HuJI chief named chairperson Khaleda Zia's elder son Tarique on 'receiving death threats'. The HuJI chief's appeal to withdraw his deposition proves Tarique's innocence and that the government named him out of 'political vengeance', he added.

A day later, the state minister said that the opposition party is creating confusion over the appeal of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami's Bangladesh operations chief Mufti Hannan to withdraw his deposition in the Aug 21 grenade attack case.

He pointed out that there was no signature on the application Hannan had filed to withdraw the deposition in which he named main opposition's senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman.

The application had been filed following demands from defence lawyers and no order could be given as there was no way to withdraw any deposition given under the Section 164 of the Bangladesh Penal Code, he said.

Hannan on Sep 27 appealed to Dhaka's Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 to withdraw his affidavit.

At least 24 people had been killed and over 100 injured in the grenade attack on an Awami League rally at Bangabandhu Avenue on Aug 21. Then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina had been injured in the deadly blasts.

Police later submitted two charge-sheets, one for murder and another for explosives' use, in the cases.

On further investigation, supplementary charge-sheets in the cases were submitted on July 3 naming Tarique and 30 others, including Jamaat-e-Islami secretary-general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.

The number of charge-sheeted accused in the twin cases is now 52.

BNP has been saying that Tarique was named in the charge-sheets as part of a plan to bar him from running in the next general election, while Awami League alleged that he masterminded the attack that killed incumbent president Zillur Rahman's wife Ivy Rahman.