HC clears way for Joj Miah to be PW

The High Court yesterday cleared the way for the lower court to record Joj Miah's statement as a prosecution witness in August 21 grenade attack case.

The HC bench of Justice Muhammad Abdul Hafiz and Justice Md Ruhul Quddus court disposed of a petition that sought its directive to expunge the statement of Joj Miah in the case.

There is no legal bar for the trial court to continue recording statement of Joj Miah in the case following the HC order, Additional Attorney General Momtaz Uddin Fakir told The Daily Star.

Mohammad Ujjal alias Ratan, a detained accused of the case, filed the petition with the HC on October 20 challenging the lower court order that rejected his application seeking removal of Joj Miah's statement recorded by it.

In the petition, Ujjal also prayed to the HC to direct the lower court to expunge Joj Miah's statement, saying his deposition was not acceptable since he had earlier given confessional statement as an accused. 

The then BNP-led alliance government had reportedly made a Joj Miah drama to divert the direction of the investigation. In 2005, Joj Miah, a petty criminal, was implicated in the case and the then Criminal Investigation Department obtained his “confessional statement”.

Joj Mia on September 30 this year narrated before a Dhaka court how he had been forced by three CID officials into incriminating himself.

The grenade attack was carried out at an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital on August 21, 2004 that killed its 24 leaders and activists, and injured 300 others. The then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina narrowly escaped death.