Udichi Shilpi Gosthi yesterday submitted a memorandum to the state minister for home, demanding reinvestigation of the Jessore blast and punishment to the culprits in the terrorist attack carried out seven years ago.

Elsewhere in the country, district and upazila units of the cultural organisation submitted memorandums to the deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers (UNO).

Earlier, a Jessore court on June 28 acquitted all the 23 accused in the case on grounds of inadequacy of the investigation. The deadly blast occurred on March 7, 1999 left 10 killed and more than 100injured.

After a rally at city's Muktangan, central committee of Udichi brought out a procession at around 11:00am. The procession bound for the home ministry was intercepted by the police at Zero Point.

Later, Professor Jatin Sarkar, president of Udichi, and Mahmud Selim, general secretary, submitted the memorandum to the office of the home minister.

The memorandum demanded that statements of the self-declared bombers like Mufti Hannan be taken into consideration.

It also stated that only 31 out of 67 witnesses were called to testify while many vital ones were left out. Still the case was declared lacking in witnesses.

"Like the honourable judge, we too think that the investigation of the case was inadequate. But instead of ordering a reinvestigation, a judgment based on an unfinished investigation has been passed," the statement read.

It said as most of the accused belong to the ruling party, the government's sincerity in having a just verdict had all along been very much questionable. Incomplete investigation done over a long period only added to the public doubt.

Besides, it says, recommendations of the judicial probe commission formed by the government further exposed the government's attitude towards the case.

The commission had advised that all the charge-sheeted accused be released and Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina, the then home minister Mohammed Nasim, the then Udichi president Hasan Imam and general secretary of Jessore Awami League be charged with orchestrating the blast.