HC orders action against 2001 post-polls offenders

The High Court today directed the government to immediately take appropriate legal action against the people responsible for atrocities and offences after the 2001 general elections across the country.
Accepting the judicial probe report from the government on the post 2001-polls violence, the court expressed dissatisfaction over the authorities for not taking any serious step against the offenders.
During hearing a pending writ petition, it ordered the home secretary and inspector general of police to take steps against the offenders in accordance with the probe report.    
The HC bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain also asked them to submit a report after complying with the order before it on May 11.
The government has to file cases against the people responsible for the incidents of atrocities and violence after the 2001 polls and to put them on trial following the HC order, Deputy Attorney General Biswojit Roy told The Daily Star.
He added that the police can arrest the offenders after cases are filed against them.
The previous Awami League-led government on December 27, 2009 formed the three-member commission, headed by retired district judge Mohammad Sahabuddin to probe the attacks on the then opposition AL supporters, particularly the minority communities.
On April 24, 2011, the commission submitted the probe report to the home ministry, saying that at least 25 ministers and lawmakers of the BNP-Jamaat government were involved in atrocities on Hindus and opposition men in 15 months after the 2001 general elections.
Former ministers Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu, Abdus Salam Pintu, Motiur Rahman Nizami, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Tariqul Islam and Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed were among the 26,352 people found involved in the post-poll offences.
The commission found that over 200 women belonging to minority communities were gang-raped allegedly by the then ruling BNP-Jamaat alliance activists in the 15 months after October 2001.
The barbaric act was intended to force them to leave the country. Their only fault was to cast vote for Awami League, according to the commission.
The commission mentioned over 3,625 incidents including 355 as politically motivated killings.
The remaining 3,270 were the incidents of rape, arson attack, and looting by the then ruling BNP-Jamaat men.
The incidents in different areas of Bhola, Barisal, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bagerhat, Jhenidah, Jessore, Kushtia, Chittagong, Feni, Comilla, Khagrachhari, Sirajganj, Pabna, Rajshahi and Natore.
The home ministry on April 1 this year published the probe report through a gazette notification as per an HC order.
After receiving from the home ministry, Deputy Attorney General Biswojit Roy today submitted the gazette notification containing the probe report before the HC bench.
Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh President Manzill Murshid had moved the writ petition in 2009 seeking HC directive on the government to form a judicial commission to probe the post 2001 election violence.