Attack on Hasina: HC acquits 9 death row convicts, 38 others

The High Court (HC) has acquitted 47 convicts including nine death row ones in a case filed over attempt to kill former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in Pabna around 30 years back.

An HC bench consisting of Justice Muhammad Mahbub-ul-Islam and Justice Hamidur Rahman passed the order on Wednesday, said Barrister Kaisar Kamal who stood for the defendants at the court.

Earlier on January 30 this year, the court held a hearing on a petition submitted by the convicts and the death reference, and set February 5 to deliver its judgment.

Lawyer Kaisar said a Pabna court sentenced nine people to death, 25 to life term and 13 others to 10 years in jail in 2019 for attack on Sheikh Hasina.

All the convicts were leaders and activists of BNP and the sentences were politically-motivated , he said.

According to the case statement, a group of BNP men led by leader Jakaria Pintu opened fire targeting Sheikh Hasina to kill her when she was travelling to Saidpur from Khulna by Rupsa Express on September 23, 1994.

Later, the then Ishwardi police station’s Officer-in-Charge Nazrul Islam filed a case in this regard.

The Criminal Investigation Department submitted a chargesheet against 52 accused on April 3 in 1997 after investigating the case.

Five out of the accused were exempted from the charges as they had died.

On July 3 in 2019, the Pabna court handed down the verdict.

Later, the death references were sent to the HC while the convicts submitted a petition with the court seeking acquittal.