Attack on train carrying Hasina in Ishwardi: 47 BNP men acquitted

The High Court Wednesday acquitted all the convicted leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in a case filed on charges of bomb attack and opening fire to a train that was carrying the then leader of the opposition Sheikh Hasina in Ishwardi of Pabna over three decades ago.

The HC bench of justice Mahbub-ul-Islam and justice Md Hamidur Rahman passed the order today.

Earlier the court completed hearing on the death reference, appeal and jail appeal on 31 January and set 5 February for the verdict.

Md Rustom Ali, acting judge of special tribunal-3 and additional district and sessions judge of Pabna, awarded the punishment to the accused on 3 July 2019.

The trial court awarded the death sentence to nine, lifetime imprisonment to 25 and 10 years imprisonment to 13 each. All the convicted are current and former leaders and activists of BNP, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal.

The verdict was submitted to the HC in 2019 and was listed as a death reference case.

The permission of the High Court is necessary to implement the execution of any convicted awarded death sentence in the trial court in any criminal case. This is known as a death reference case.

On the other hand, the accused could file a jail appeal and regular appeal with the High Court against the trial court’s sentence.

The hearing of death reference and all the appeals take place at the HC jointly.

Kaiser Kamal, Jamil Akter Elahi, AHM Kamruzzaman Mamun, Gazi Touhidul Islam, and Md Maksud Ullah were the defence lawyers while deputy attorney general Mohammad Mujibur Rahman represented the state in the court.