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Aug 21 Cases

Drop name ofTarique

Demands BNP

Staff Correspondent
The main opposition BNP has demanded that the names of its senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman and other opposition leaders be dropped from the two cases filed over the August 21 grenade attack.
The party said its detained leaders and activists “implicated” in the cases must be released immediately, as Mufti Abdul Hannan, prime accused in the cases,
stated that he doesn't know Tarique or other BNP leaders.
“Mufti Abdul Hannan's petition for withdrawing his earlier statement proves that Tarique had been implicated in the cases as part of a conspiracy to prevent him from running for the next general election, “BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told a press conference at the party chairperson's Gulshan office in the capital yesterday.
Huji Chief Hannan submitted the petition on Tuesday for withdrawing the statement he gave on April 7. In the statement, he mentioned the involvement of Hawa Bhaban, some former BNP ministers and intelligence officials in the grenadeattack.
Later, the investigation officer submitted a supple-
mentary charge sheet with the names of a few BNP leaders including Tarique Rahman, Lutfozzaman Babar, Abdus Salam Pintu and Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad.
Alamgir said the Huji leader in his latest statement said he was tortured into giving the April 7 statement.
The acting BNP secretary general said the government now has no moral or legal grounds to blame the BNP leaders for the incident.
“The party's image was tarnished by the advertisement in national dailies that asked Tarique and 11 others to appear before a court in connection with the grenade attack,” he said.
The BNP leader said they will seek legal action over the matter.
Alamgir said Awami League did not cooperate with the previous BNP-led
government in the investigation into the incident. On assumption of power, the ruling AL has changed investigation officers in the cases several times.
“They finally appointed an investigation officer known to be loyal to Awami League. This officer implicated Tarique Rahman in the cases at the behest of the ruling party's top brass," he said.
Senior BNP leaders RA Gani, MK Anwar and Sadeque Hossain Khoka, among others, were present.
Twenty-four people were killed and nearly 200 others injured in a grenade attack on an AL rally on Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004. Police filed two cases — one under the Explosive Substances Act and the other for murder — in connection with the incident.