A Dhaka court has acquitted BNP joint secretary general Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee and eight others in a 12-year-old explosives case filed with Sutrapur Police Station.
Judge Mohammad Jannatul Ferdous Ibn Hossain of Dhaka’s Special Tribunal-14 delivered the verdict on Monday. The other acquitted individuals are Abdul Kader Bhuiyan Jewel, Habibur Rashid Habib, Ishak Sarkar, Qazi Abul Bashar, Nazrul Islam Khan Tipu, MA Syed Montu, A Sattar, and Md Salauddin.
According to case details, on November 10, 2013, during a strike called by the 18-party alliance, miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at a “leguna” (a mode of small form-factor mode of transport) in Sutrapur, injuring five passengers. The following day, then Sub-Inspector Nayan Faruq filed the case under the Explosive Substances Act.
Initially, 10 individuals, including BNP leader Sadek Hossain Khoka, were accused. After investigation, DB Police Inspector Anwar Alam Azad submitted the chargesheet on May 21, 2019. The trial proceeded against Anee and eight others.
Anee’s lawyer Mohiuddin Chowdhury stated: “The court acquitted the accused at the testimony stage as the case lacked substantial evidence to proceed further.”
Speaking at the Court Reporters Unity (CRU) office after the verdict, Anee alleged: “The previous regime harassed political activists through torture and psychological pressure. Many faced enforced disappearances or killings, with some martyred during the July uprising. We’ve been forced into hiding, unable to stay at homes.”
Regarding acting chairman Tarique Rahman’s meeting with the chief adviser, Anee remarked: “Discussions have occurred both domestically and abroad. Had Tarique been in Bangladesh, talks would’ve happened here. As a major party with significant experience, dialogue with our acting chairman was essential earlier.”
“The chief adviser simply seized the opportunity abroad to meet him abroad,” he added. “This meeting shouldn’t be view as anything more than that.”