A Chittagong court yesterday acquitted city Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin, Feni-based Awami League lawmaker Nizam Uddin Hazari and 16 others in a case filed over the murder attempt on a Bangladesh Chhatra League leader in 1993.
Chittagong District and Sessions Judge SM Nurul Huda delivered the verdict in the morning about 22 years after of the case had been lodged, said court sources.
Apart from Nasir and Hazari, Chittagong city Panel Mayor Chowdhury Hasan Mahmud Hasni, former Chhatra League leaders Khorshed Alam, Shahidul Islam Mintu, Simanto Talukder, Shamsul Huda Mintu, Wahidul Alam Shimul, Shafi Dobhas, Shakil Mahmud, Shahnewaj Saki, Faruk Ahmed, Sokul Chandra Das, Minhajur Rahman, Raihan Yusuf, Sohrab Hossain Majumder, Imran Yusuf and Abdul Mannan were also acquitted.
Apart from three on the run, 15 of the accused appeared before the court yesterday.
“There were also dissimilarities among the depositions given by the witnesses and the plaintiff said he did not want any prevention,” said Chittagong Public Prosecutor Abul Hashem.
On January 24, 1993, Chittagong city unit Chhatra League’s then publicity secretary Sufian Siddique filed the case against 19 people accusing them of trying to kill him during a clash at a rally of Sheikh Hasina at Laldighi ground.
Police submitted charge sheet against 18 accused on March 7, 1993. Eight out of the 12 witnesses testified at the court. A defence plea for reexamination was turned down.
Later, AJM Nasir lodged a revision case with the High Court in 1994 after which the proceedings of the cases remained stalled until 2014.
On March 9, 2014, an HC bench ordered for the disposal of the revision, finishing the case procedures in six months and recalling the first eight witnesses. Following that order, proceedings resumed on April 6.
The court rerecorded the deposition of those eight witnesses and seven new ones mentioned in the charge sheet. Finally, all the proceedings of the case were wrapped up on July 14.
