BANGLADESH

BNP has announced rallies across the country on Wednesday to protest indictment of its senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman in Aug 21 grenade attack case.

Party's acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the programme at a press briefing at BNP's Naya Paltan headquarters on Monday – the day after a Dhaka court framed charges against Tarique, the elder son of party chairperson Khaleda Zia.

"The chargesheet against Tarique Rahman is politically motivated. It has been submitted in the court as part of the conspiracy to keep him away from elections," he said.

Alamgir also urged the authorities to withdraw the 'false' chargesheet.

On Sunday, a special court of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 framed charges against Tarique in absentia, as he has been staying in the UK for over three years now. Twenty-nine others have also been charged in the case over the grisly attack in 2004. Judge Shahed Nooruddin has fixed Mar 28 to start recording deposition of witnesses.

At least 24 people, including incumbent president Zillur Rahman's wife Ivy Rahman, were killed in the attack on an Awami League rally. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina, then the opposition leader, also received injuries in the attack.

"Fearing Tarique Rahman popularity, the government has linked him with the Aug 21 grenade attack case so as to keep him away from politics," Alamgir claimed.

"This is an act of ruling party's politics of vengeance," he said.

The BNP leader said when Awami League came to power, it launched further investigations into the attack with Abdul Kahhar Akhand, a former and 'partisan' police officer, as head of the probe panel to link Tarique with the case.

Alamgir said Tarique was not given the chance to defend.

"Although Abdur Rezzak Khan was appointed his lawyer, it was not taken into cognisance. The court started the trial in his absence in a one-sided fashion by accepting the chargesheet," he said.

"The government has withdrawn 7,500 cases against the ruling party men. The president acquits those who should walk to the gallows... Tarique Rahman was linked with the Aug 21 case with pure political intent..."

He further alleged that the government had shown Tarique fugitive in the case even though the Supreme Court had granted him bail.

Alamgir went on that chief of banned Islamist outfit Harkatul Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) Mufti Abdul Hannan was forced to name Tarique during a 222-day remand. "Although Mufti Hannan withdrew the false confession later, Tarique has been named in the chargesheet solely for political reasons."

None of the 61 accused named Tarique before the extended investigation, he said. "It was Kahhar Akhand who included Tarique Rahman's name."

Akand, special police superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), submitted supplementary chargesheets on July 3 last year in two cases relating to the grenade attack accusing Tarique, Khaleda's former political secretary Harris Chowdhury, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed and 27 others of complicity in the attack.

At present, the total number of accused stands at 52, including the previous 22.

The fresh accused also include former state minister for home during the BNP-led 2001-06 cabinet Lutfozzaman Babar, Khaleda's nephew Saiful Islam Duke and BNP MP Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad.

The hearing on the discharge plea began on Sept 11 last year.

Nineteen of the 52 chargesheeted accused in the twin Aug 21 grenade attack cases are now staying abroad. The cases were filed for possessing explosives and murder.

Mufti Abdul Hannan and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu of BNP are among the previously accused.