A Dhaka court yesterday rescheduled the date to deliver verdict in the sensational Ramna Batamul killing case of 2001. The new date is June 23.
The court was all set to pronounce the verdict yesterday, over 13 years after the incident. But the verdict has been deferred as the judgement is yet to be prepared.
Defence and prosecution counsels and a large number of journalists were present at the court. Main accused Mufti Abdul Hannan, chief of banned militant outfit Huji, and eight other accused were also taken to the court.
Five other accused in the case including Maulana Tajuddin, brother of BNP leader Abdus Salam Pintu, are on the run.
Judge Ruhul Amin of the Dhaka’s Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court gave the order. He said the date had been deferred since he could not complete writing the judgement.
On May 28, the court fixed yesterday for the verdict following completion of defence arguments. Although the court will deliver verdict in the murder case, another case filed under Explosive Substances Act remains pending.
At least 10 people were killed and 50 others injured as several blasts occurred at Ramna Batamul during Pahela Baishakh celebrations in a morning of Bangla New year, 1408 (April 14, 2001). Chhayanaut, one of the country’s leading cultural organisations, organises the celebrations every year at Ramna Batamul.
Two cases – one for the killing and the other under the Explosive Substances Act – were filed with Ramna police station. The CID on December 30, 2008 pressed the charges against 14 accused in both the cases.
The court recorded statements of 61 out of 84 prosecution witnesses.
Mufti Hannan and another accused in their confessional statements before magistrates claimed that they had carried out the bomb attack since “celebrating Bangla New Year is anti-Islamic.”
