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Forensic experts ignored in bomb blast probes

Mizanur Khan
Forensic expertise has always been ignored in investigations into bomb blasts leading to unresolved mysteries, experts allege.
Around 140 people have been killed and over 900 injured in 16 bomb explosions that rocked political meetings, cultural functions, religious gatherings and movie
houses since March 1999. But criminals have safely remained out of the police dragnet because of lack ofinformation.
Probes remain incomplete and masterminds safely anonymous.
"As investigation lacks cooperation between the police and forensic doctors, none of these crimes could be solved. Our expertise could play an important role in
investigation into the fatal blasts," a forensic expert.
Forensic experts can determine the time, cause and nature of deaths, whether the bombs were carried in or thrown from outside and the types of weapons used in the attacks, said Professor Dr Qamruzzaman, head ofthe forensic department of Dhaka Medical College (DMC).
Another expert alleged that police investigate crimes according to will without paying any attention to forensic findings.
"The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Detective Branch (DB) have to follow-up postmortem reports in their investigations. But this is often not the case," Quamruzzaman remarked.
After the Ramna blast, forensic experts gave police evidence of a man who was carrying bombs in a sack tied to his belly.
Three grisly attacks shocked the capital killing at least 37 since
January 2001. The latest grenade attacks on Sheikh Hasina's rally in front of the Awami League Central Office on Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21 claimed 19, while some are still fighting for their lives at several city hospitals.
The bomb explosion at a cultural function by Udichi in Jessore that killed 10 people on March 6, 1999 could be the first blast at a public gathering. Another eight were bombed to death on October 8 the same year inside an Ahmadiyaa mosque in Khulna.
The first carnage in the capital in
consequent bomb explosions occurred on January 20, 2001 at a Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) rally that killed seven. On April 14, 2001, the Ramna Batamul mayhem claimed another 10 lives.
"These bomb attacks still remain a mystery and perpetrators go scot-free because of politicisation of the investigation," a highly placed source at the DMC alleged.
"Sometimes it is very embarrassing when one party asks us to do the postmortems quickly and the other puts pressure to delay the process," he added.
Forensic doctors said the examination of bodies sometimes reveal important clues which could be helpful into the investigation, but these clues could not proceed to any conclusion as experts are not invited to visit the spots.
The DMC forensic department found similar types of splinters in bombs used in Paltan, Narayanganj and Ramna and also preserved some of them but these were never used as clues.
"In other countries, authorities launch joint investigation where police and forensic experts work
together but in Bangladesh there is no coordination between the two parties," rQuamruzzamansaid.
"After bomb blasts police should invite forensic experts, collect evidence and take pictures before cleaning the area. But in our country, in most cases, common people reach the spots before police or experts and destroy available evidence, "he added.
The inspector general of police and police commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) did not want to comment on the issue.