The repeated postponement of the hearing of the explosives case related to the BDR carnage is part of a larger conspiracy, alleged Mahin Sarkar, the former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
He made this claim during a press briefing on Saturday after visiting a BDR member who suffered a brain stroke at Dhaka Medical College (DMCH).
Mahin Sarkar said: “The explosives case from the BDR carnage period has no basis. Despite that, the hearing of this case is being repeatedly delayed. I want the judiciary and the commission to work independently. How did the country achieve independence if judgments are influenced by prior verdicts? The repeated postponement of hearings is undoubtedly part of a major conspiracy.”
Following the briefing, Mahin Sarkar posted on his verified Facebook page in the afternoon, saying: “If justice is not served tomorrow, everyone will take to the streets.”
In his post, Mahin Sarkar wrote: “I saw a BDR member still imprisoned under the baseless Explosives Act today. When I visited, I saw that the handcuffs placed by the prison authorities were still on his hands. He has been paralyzed after suffering two strokes and cannot even move. On behalf of the BDR member and his family, his eldest daughter stood before me, her eyes streaming with tears. She could only say, ‘We are very helpless.’ She couldn’t say much more.”
Highlighting that the families of the martyrs also seek justice, he added: “There is a hearing tomorrow. The court will probably convene in Keraniganj. The affected BDR members and their families will stand there seeking justice. The families of the martyrs also want justice. The entire nation will stand with them. If justice is not served tomorrow, everyone will take to the field. I urge all political parties and the general public to monitor the judicial hearing on the BDR killings and the commission’s actions.”
Two cases were filed over the mutiny and killings at Pilkhana. One is a murder case, for which the death reference hearing is ongoing in the appellate division after the verdict in the lower court. The other is the explosives case, the trial for which remains incomplete. Sunday is the scheduled hearing date for this case.