A convicted criminal in a case over the 2002 attack on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s motorcade in Satkhira has died.
The convict, Abdus Sattar, 60, died at Satkhira Sadar Hospital at around 8:30pm on Sunday, according to media reports.
Sattar was sent to the hospital at night after he felt chest pain. He was a teacher at Kaila Government High School and leaves behind two children.
He had been in jail since January 27, 2021, following his conviction.
On August 30, 2002, Awami League chief Hasina, the then leader of the opposition, went to Satkhira Central Hospital to visit the wife of a freedom fighter who had been raped.
Her motorcade was attacked in front of the Kalaroa Upazila BNP office while she was on her way back to Dhaka. Aside from the bomb attack and vandalism of cars, gunshots were also fired at Hasina.
Central leaders of the Awami League accompanying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina along with local activists and journalists were all injured in the attack.
Moslem Uddin, the then general secretary of the Kolaroa Awami League later filed a case with Kalaroa police station. However, the case was rejected.
He then filed the case with Satkhira Judicial Magistrate’s Court in this connection, naming the then BNP MP Habibul Islam Habib as an accused. The court then ordered Kolaroa police to investigate the case.
However, police submitted a report on December 25, 2003, claiming that the accusations cited in the case were not true.
Challenging the report, the plaintiff filed a no-confidence petition, which was dismissed by the court. Later, the plaintiff filed a revision petition with the High Court.
On July 28, 2013, the High Court passed an order directing the police to reconsider the case and conduct a fresh investigation in the case.
In a follow-up to the order, the Satkhira Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court ordered the Kalaroa police to take action against those who attacked Hasina’s convoy.
Police subsequently pressed formal charges against 50 people, including Habibul Islam Habib, following an investigation.