Three former Criminal Investigation Department investigators accused in the August 21 grenade attack cases were sent to jail after they surrendered before a

Dhaka court yesterday.

The three are also accused of misleading the probe into the grenade attack cases.

Metropolitan Magistrate Keshob Roy

Chowdhury sent them to jail when former special superintendent of police Ruhul Amin and two former assistant superintendents of police Munshi Atiqur Rahman and Abdur Rashid appeared before the court seeking bail.

They sought bail in the case filed in connection with the killing of 24 people in the grisly grenade attack on an Awami League rally in 2004.

During the hearing on bail petition, their lawyer Abdus Sobhan told the court that his clients were implicated in the case as part of a conspiracy to harass them. He said the rules allow his clients to have bail. Moreover, another case was filed against them in connection with misleading the probe and they have received bail in that case, he said.

Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Abdullah Abu told the court that the charges brought against the accused were primarily proved. The three accused had earlier misled the probe into the grenade attack cases and he prayed for sending them to jail rejecting their bail.

On Monday, three former police chiefs—Ashraful Huda, Khoda Baksh Chowdhury and Shahudul Haque—were also sent to jail after they had surrendered before the same court seeking bail.

TWo cases were filed after the attack. One for murder of 24 people and the other under Explosive Substances Act.

EXPLOSIVES CASE

Hearing on the charges against 30 new accused, including BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, in the case filed under Explosive Substances Act

will be held on July 14.

After scrutinising the case dockets and other relevant documents, Judge Mohammad Zohurul Haque of Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court fixed the date for hearing on taking into cognizance the charges against the accused.

The court also directed the jail authorities to produce 12 accused, including former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar and Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid, on that day.

BACKGROUND

Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina narrowly escaped when a barrage of grenades exploded at an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004, killing 24

people.

President Zillur Rahman's wife and Awami League leader Ivy Rahman died and 500 others were injured.

In 2008, the CID submitted charge sheets against 22 people including former BNP deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu and 21 Harkatul Jihad men including militant kingpin Mufti Hannan.

On August 3, 2008, a Dhaka court ordered the CID investigators to further probe the grenade attack as the earlier investigation failed to reveal the sources of the grenades and identify the masterminds.

After 14 time extensions, the CID on Sunday submitted the supplementary charge sheet accusing 30 more people.