A Narayanganj court on Sunday granted bail to 22 people connected to the mosque management committee of Baitus Salat Jame Mosque in connection with the explosion at the mosque on September 4 last year.
The district's Senior Judicial Magistrate Miltan Hossain passed the order when the accused surrendered before the court seeking bail following the submission of the charge sheet against them in the case by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), confirmed Narayanganj court police Inspector Asaduzzaman to Dhaka Tribune.
Those who got bail are, Samsuddin Sardar, 60, Shamsu Sardar, 57, Shawkat Ali, 50, Ashim Uddin, 50, Jahangir Alam, 40, Shafiqul Islam Ujjwal, 45, Naeem Sardar, 27, Tanvir Ahmed, 45, Al Amin, 35, Alamgir Sikder, 35, Alhaj Maulana Al Amin, 45, Siraj Hawlader, 55, Newaz Mia, 55, Nazir Hossain, 56, Abul Kashem, 45, Abdul Malek, 55, Monirul, 55, Swapan Mia, 38, Aslam Ali, 42, Qayyum, 38, Bashir Ahmed alias Hridoy, 28, and Rimel, 32.
The court granted them bail till January 27 on a bond of Tk1,000.
Earlier on December 31, 2020, CID had pressed charges against 29 people in a case filed over the tragic incident.
The president of the mosque committee was named as the main accused in the charge sheet. However, the names of arrested officers and employees of Titas Gas were dropped from the charge sheet.
It also was mentioned in the charge sheet that a supplementary charge sheet will be filed against the eight accused government officials or employees after receiving approval from the appropriate authority.
Also Read - Narayanganj mosque blast: CID files charge sheet against 29
Narayanganj CID unit Special Superintendent of Police Nasir Uddin said 26 people of the mosque committee including the mosque committee chief, meter reading collector of Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC), and two electricians were named in the charge sheet.
The accused in the case are Abdul Gafur Mia, 60, Samsuddin Sardar, 60, Shamsu Sardar, 57, Shawkat Ali, 50, Asim Uddin, 50, Jahangir Alam, 40, Shafiqul Islam Ujjwal, 45, Naeem Sardar, 27, Tanvir Ahmed, 45, Al Amin, 35, Alamgir Sikder, 35, Alhaj Maulana Al Amin, 45, Siraj Hawlader, 55, Newa Mia, 55, Nazir Hossain, 56, Abul Kashem, 45, Abdul Malek, 55, Monirul, 55, Swapan Mia, 38, Aslam Ali, 42, Ali Tajam alias Milky, 55, Qayyum, 38, Mamun Mia, 38, Delwar Hossain, Bashir Ahmed Hridoy, 26, Rimel, 32, DPDC employee Arifur Rahman, 30, electrician Mubarak Hossain, 40, and Raihanul Islam, 36.
On September 4, last year, an explosion that occurred at Pashchim Talla Baitus Salat Jame Mosque in Narayanganj at around 8:45pm after Esha prayers, critically injured 37 and killed 34 of them.
On September 7, Titas Gas issued two separate letters suspending eight of their personnel for negligence in duty. They were also issued show cause notices.
On September 10, police handed over the Narayanganj mosque explosion case to the CID.
Fire officials said the explosion was caused by the accumulation of leaked gas from an underground Titas Gas pipeline that somehow came in contact with an electric spark from the air conditioners.
