Friday, April 8, 2011
Plot hatched in Hawa Bhaban meetings
Mufti Hannan confesses afresh about Aug 21 grenade attacks
Mufti Hannan in a confessional statement disclosed the involvement of Hawa Bhaban and some former BNP ministers and intelligence officials in the August 21, 2004, grenade attack on an Awami League rally.
Harkat-ul Jihad (Huji) leader Mufti Mohammad Abdul Hannan made the fresh confessional statement before a Dhaka court yesterday about the attack that left Ivy Rahman, wife of President Zillur Rahman, dead along with 23 others and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wounded. At least 300 others were also injured.
On October 27, 2009, The Daily Star published an investigative report on the attack. The report disclosed the chilling conspiracy that was hatched in Hawa Bhaban.
Hannan, prime accused in the case, on November 1, 2007, made a confessional statement but Criminal Investigation Department moved for a new confessional statement following revaluations of more information through investigation.
First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan recorded yesterday's statement for over five hours from 4:00pm.
Sources in the CID said in the first confessional statement Hannan admitted carrying out the attack but in the new statement he said the attack was planned in meetings held at the Hawa Bhaban.
Hawa Bhaban was widely regarded as the alternative powerhouse of the then BNP-led coalition government.
Hannan said the meetings were held in presence of some then BNP ministers and businessmen close to BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami top brass.
However, the CID sources declined to disclose names of the people Hannan mentioned.
Hannan said fugitive Maulana Tajuddin, brother of detained former BNP deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu, had coordinated the attackers and the people of different agencies who aided them.
In the first confessional statement, Hannan said they had smuggled in the grenades from Afghanistan, where Hannan had joined the Mujahideens to fight against the Soviets in the 1980s.
Now he says that the grenades came from Pakistan via Chittagong.
In the first statement, Hannan said they planned the attack in a Badda house in the capital a few days ahead. He had said around 12 militants carried out the attack.
He had said they wanted to kill Sheikh Hasina because she had slapped a ban on religious edict when she was in power, the sources added.
CID Special Superintendent Abdul Kahar Akand, investigation officer of the case, declined to make any comment on the new statement of Hannan.
So far, 12 accused have given confessional statements admitting their involvement in the attack. They are Mufti Hannan, his brother Mohibullah alias Mafizur Rahman alias Ovi, Sharif Shahidul Islam alias Bipul, Maulana Abu Sayeed alias Abu Zafar, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul, Arif Hossain, Rafiqul Islam Sabuj and Jahangir Alam, Islamic Democratic Party leader Sheikh Abdus Salam, Pakistan based LeT leader Abdul Majid alias Yusuf Butt, LeT leader Abdul Malek alias Golam Mohammad and Abdur Rouf.
The eight absconding accused are Pintu's brothers Maulana Tajuddin and Maulana Liton, Anisul Mursalin and his brother Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Howlader, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman.
On June 11, 2008, the CID submitted a charge sheet accusing 22 people, including top Huji leader Mufti Abdul Hannan and BNP leader and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu.
But the court asked police for further investigation into the attack to find out the sources of the grenades used in the attack, the suppliers of the grenades and also to unfold the mystery behind defusing the unexploded grenades soon after recovery.
During the rule of BNP-led coalition government, the then investigators allegedly staged a drama to mislead the investigation and protect the real culprits.
Harkat-ul Jihad (Huji) leader Mufti Mohammad Abdul Hannan made the fresh confessional statement before a Dhaka court yesterday about the attack that left Ivy Rahman, wife of President Zillur Rahman, dead along with 23 others and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wounded. At least 300 others were also injured.
On October 27, 2009, The Daily Star published an investigative report on the attack. The report disclosed the chilling conspiracy that was hatched in Hawa Bhaban.
Hannan, prime accused in the case, on November 1, 2007, made a confessional statement but Criminal Investigation Department moved for a new confessional statement following revaluations of more information through investigation.
First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan recorded yesterday's statement for over five hours from 4:00pm.
Sources in the CID said in the first confessional statement Hannan admitted carrying out the attack but in the new statement he said the attack was planned in meetings held at the Hawa Bhaban.
Hawa Bhaban was widely regarded as the alternative powerhouse of the then BNP-led coalition government.
Hannan said the meetings were held in presence of some then BNP ministers and businessmen close to BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami top brass.
However, the CID sources declined to disclose names of the people Hannan mentioned.
Hannan said fugitive Maulana Tajuddin, brother of detained former BNP deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu, had coordinated the attackers and the people of different agencies who aided them.
In the first confessional statement, Hannan said they had smuggled in the grenades from Afghanistan, where Hannan had joined the Mujahideens to fight against the Soviets in the 1980s.
Now he says that the grenades came from Pakistan via Chittagong.
In the first statement, Hannan said they planned the attack in a Badda house in the capital a few days ahead. He had said around 12 militants carried out the attack.
He had said they wanted to kill Sheikh Hasina because she had slapped a ban on religious edict when she was in power, the sources added.
CID Special Superintendent Abdul Kahar Akand, investigation officer of the case, declined to make any comment on the new statement of Hannan.
So far, 12 accused have given confessional statements admitting their involvement in the attack. They are Mufti Hannan, his brother Mohibullah alias Mafizur Rahman alias Ovi, Sharif Shahidul Islam alias Bipul, Maulana Abu Sayeed alias Abu Zafar, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul, Arif Hossain, Rafiqul Islam Sabuj and Jahangir Alam, Islamic Democratic Party leader Sheikh Abdus Salam, Pakistan based LeT leader Abdul Majid alias Yusuf Butt, LeT leader Abdul Malek alias Golam Mohammad and Abdur Rouf.
The eight absconding accused are Pintu's brothers Maulana Tajuddin and Maulana Liton, Anisul Mursalin and his brother Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Howlader, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman.
On June 11, 2008, the CID submitted a charge sheet accusing 22 people, including top Huji leader Mufti Abdul Hannan and BNP leader and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu.
But the court asked police for further investigation into the attack to find out the sources of the grenades used in the attack, the suppliers of the grenades and also to unfold the mystery behind defusing the unexploded grenades soon after recovery.
During the rule of BNP-led coalition government, the then investigators allegedly staged a drama to mislead the investigation and protect the real culprits.
© thedailystar.net, 1991-2008. All Rights Reserved
Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=180935
