A Dhaka court on Monday acquitted nine leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its affiliated organisations, including the party’s Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee, in a case filed under the Explosive Substances Act.
Judge Md Jannatul Ferdous Ibn Haque of Dhaka Special Tribunal-14 passed the order, stating that the charges brought against the accused could not be proven.
The eight others acquitted in the case are Abdul Kader Bhuiyan Jewel, Habibur Rashid Habib, Ishak Sarkar, Qazi Abul Bashar, Nazrul Islam Khan Tipu, MA Syed Montu, A Sattar, and Md Salauddin.
Speaking to BSS, Anee’s counsel Mohiuddin Chowdhury confirmed the acquittal and said the case was at the testimony stage. “The court disposed of it through judgment as there was no substantial evidence to proceed further,” he said.
The case was filed on November 11, 2013, in connection with a petrol bomb attack on a leguna (three-wheeler) in Dhaka’s Sutrapur area, which left five passengers with burn injuries.
A total of ten people, including the late BNP leader Sadek Hossain Khoka, were initially accused. Following Khoka’s death, his name was dropped from the case. Police submitted the charge sheet on May 21, 2019.
