Staff Reporter :
In a case filed under the Explosives Act over a decade ago with Sutrapur Police Station in Dhaka, a court has acquitted BNP Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie and eight others.
The verdict was delivered on Monday (June 16) by Judge Md Jannatul Ferdous Ibnul Haque of Dhaka Special Tribunal-14.
The others acquitted are BNP leaders Abdul Quader Bhuiyan Jewel, Habibur Rashid Habib, Ishak Sarkar, Kazi Abul Bashar, Nazrul Islam Khan Tipu, M.A. Said Montu, A. Sattar, and Md Salauddin.
Annie’s lawyer, Mohiuddin Chowdhury, said the acquittal came during the testimony phase, as the court found no sufficient grounds to proceed further. He stated that the case lacked substantial elements to justify continuation.
According to case details, on November 10, 2013, during a hartal (strike) called by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at a Leguna (local passenger vehicle) in Dhaka’s Sutrapur area. Five passengers were burned in the attack.
The next day (November 11), then Sub-Inspector Nayan Farkun filed a case under the Explosives Act at Sutrapur Police Station.
The case named ten individuals, including BNP leader Sadeque Hossain Khoka. After investigation, Detective Branch Inspector Anwar Alam Azad submitted the charge sheet to the court on May 21, 2019.
