Dr Anupam testifies

Premier University Vice-Chancellor Dr Anupam Sen gave his testimony before a Chittagong court yesterday in a case filed over police firing at a procession of the then Awami League-led  alliance near Laldighi Maidan in the port city on 24, 1988 that killed at least 24 people and injured scores others.

Police opened fire on the procession when the then Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on a truck was heading to Laldighi Maidan to speak at a mass rally there during HM Ershad regime, Public Prosecutor Mejbah Uddin Chowdhury told The Daily Star.

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Dr Anupam, the then teacher of Chittagong University, said when around 30 people, including him and Hasina, on the truck reached Bangladesh Bank area near the maidan about 1:00pm, police opened fire to kill the AL leader.

Later, lawyers from Chittagong Court Building took Hasina to the office of Chittagong District Lawyers' Association, opposite side to the Laldighi Maidan escorting her, Dr Anupam said adding, “Later, I came to know, 24 people were killed in the incident.”

After end of Ershad era, on March 5, 1992, advocate Shahidul Huda filed the case with a Chittagong court and police submitted the charge sheet against 47 persons on May 14, 1998, said PP Mejbah adding that later the court directed the criminal investigation department (CID) for further investigation into the case. On October 14, 1999,  Assistant Superintend of Police Kader Khan of CID submitted the supplementary charge sheet accusing seven persons-- the then Police Commissioner Mirza Rakibul Huda, Inspector  Gobinda Chandra Mondal alias GC Mondal, constables Mostafizur Rahman, Pradip Barua, Mamataz Uddin, Shah Md Abdullah and Bashir Uddin.

The court also directed Housing and Public Works Minister Mosharraf Hossain and AL city unit President ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury to give their testimonies before it during next hearing on June 26.