In 2005, a militant from the banned militant group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) was sentenced to death in a bomb attack in front of the main gate of the Chittagong court building. Another militant has been sentenced to life in prison.
Judge Abdul Alim of the Chittagong Anti-Terrorism Tribunal pronounced the verdict at around 11:30 am on Sunday.
The convict was Jahidul Islam alias Boma Mizan. Jabed Iqbal alias Mohammad has been sentenced to life imprisonment.Advertising
Jabed was present in the court when the verdict was announced. And Mizan was arrested in India and imprisoned there.
Security has been beefed up in the court area since morning following the verdict. Jabed was brought to the court from Chittagong jail in the morning amid tight security. He was taken to jail after the verdict was announced.
Manoranjan Das, public prosecutor at the Chittagong Anti-Terrorism Tribunal, told Prothom Alo that the court had ordered the execution of one person. Another was sentenced to life imprisonment. Of the 6 witnesses in the case, 32 testified.
According to court sources, on the morning of November 29, 2005, JMB members bombed the main entrance of the Chittagong court building in front of a police check post. Police constable Rajib Barua and candidate Shahabuddin were killed on the spot. Police constables Abu Raihan, Samsul Kabir, Rafiqul Islam, Abdul Majid and 10 others were injured.
The Detective Branch (DB) of the police filed a chargesheet in the court on May 16 next year in the case of the bombing. The trial against the accused then began with the formation of charges.
As the execution was effective in the previous case, three militants including Siddiqur Rahman alias Bangla Bhai were acquitted in the case.
The case was initially pending in the First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court in Chittagong. From there the case was transferred to the Chittagong Speedy Trial Tribunal. But after 135 working days, the case went back to the First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court. From there, the case went to the anti-terrorism tribunal in 2016.
Prosecutors said the trial was delayed because witnesses did not appear in court on the scheduled day.
According to court sources, RAB arrested Boma Mizan, one of the two accused in the case, on May 15, 2009 from Taltola in Kafrul, Dhaka. On 23 February 2014, militants attacked a prison van in Mymensingh’s Trishal and snatched three JMB leaders, including Boma Mizan. Mizan was arrested on 6 August 2016 in Kolkata.
In his response to the announcement of the verdict, police constable Rafiqul Islam, who was injured in the bombing, told Prothom Alo that the verdict in the case against the militants should be implemented soon.