2001 post-poll violence: Make probe report public in 7 days: HC

UNB, Dhaka :
The High Court on Monday asked the Home Secretary to publish within seven days through a gazette notification the probe report on a judicial inquiry commission on the 2001 post-polls violence.
The court also asked for submitting before it within April 3 a report on the compliance of its directives.
An HC bench comprising Justice Dr Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain came up with the orders after the state submitted the 1033-page report before it.
Following a writ petition filed by the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) in 2009, the High Court asked the government to form a judicial inquiry commission to investigate torture on
the minority communities, especially Hindus, and the opposition activists, and submit a report within six months.
Accordingly, the government had formed a commission which submitted its probe report to the Home Ministry after a year with some recommendations, including identifying the perpetrators and ways to end post-polls violence. However, the government neither made the report public nor submitted it to the court.
In the wake of fresh spate of violence targeting the minorities after the 10th parliamentary elections held on January 5, Advocate Manzill Murshid filed the petition on January 22 this year seeking HC directions on the government to make the probe report public.
On the day, the same HC bench directed the Home Secretary to submit before it by February 2 the probe report on the judicial inquiry commission on the 2001 post-polls violence.
The court had also issued a rule upon the government to explain in two weeks as to why the probe report should not be made public.