In 2017, the High Court issued a stay order on the trial proceedings of a horrific arson attack on a bus that killed six people during the BNP-Jamaat's anti-government movement in Rangpur's Mithapukur on January 14, 2015.
Since then, the Attorney General's Office has not taken any initiative to challenge the order and let the trial resume, say justice seekers, lawyers and human rights activists.
Sub-Inspector Abdur Razzak filed the case under the Anti-Terrorism Act at the Mithapukur police station, citing the names of 87 Jamaat Shibir leaders and workers. After investigating the case, Nazrul Islam, then the OC of Mithapukur police, filed the charge sheet against 132 people. Of the accused, 52 people could not be arrested.
The trial started in the First Additional District Sessions Judge Court of Rangpur, and the testimony and cross-examination of 44 out of 60 witnesses were completed.
But the trial process was suspended in 2017 after the defendant appealed to the High Court to quash the proceedings, taking advantage of the police's irresponsibility and flawed investigation.
Family members of the victims have expressed extreme disappointment as the Attorney General's Office is not taking any visible step to ensure justice.
How it happened
The BNP-Jamaat alliance supporters had created anarchy across the country ahead of the elections of January 5, 2014 in the name of a blockade. The violent movement continued for a long time resulting in hundreds of deaths and massive loss to public property.
On this day, the passenger bus of Khalil Paribahan left from Ulipur in Kurigram bound for Dhaka. When it reached Batasan area of Mithapukur, Jamaat-Shibir activists who were already there threw several petrol bombs on the moving bus.
The entire bus caught fire and six passengers including children inside the bus were burnt alive. At least 25 passengers were injured. The seriously injured passengers were admitted to the burn unit of Rangpur Medical College Hospital.
Many of the injured are permanently crippled. The police said that most of the passengers were going to Dhaka in search of work and they were all destitutes.
Utter negligence
Additional PP Abdus Sattar is one of the lawyers handling the case on behalf of the government in this matter.
When contacted, he said the case had reached the final stage of trial. He expressed hope that the trial would be completed soon after the hearing in the High Court.
On the other hand, Public Prosecutor and President of Rangpur Legal Association Abdul Malek said the defendants had taken an opportunity to file a petition in the High Court to dismiss the case.
He said that a letter had been sent to the Attorney General's Office for a speedy hearing in the High Court.
A retired officer of Rangpur police said, during the investigation, the police had not taken the case seriously.
"They did not visit relatives of the dead and injured. Rather, Mithapukur police officers allegedly took bribes. Even after being informed about these matters, the senior police officers did not take any action," said the officer, seeking anonymity.
In this regard, the public prosecutor said the police had not consulted them while investigating the case and filing the charge sheet.
On the other hand, human rights activist Jahangir Hossain Tuhin questioned the sincerity of the government in ensuring justice for the victims.
He felt that, if the trial of the case was not completed quickly and the culprits were not punished, they would commit more atrocities.
