Deposition of prosecution witnesses concludes

Sylhet Divisional Speedy Trial tribunal judge Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam yesterday recorded the deposition of the 7 police inspectors, who were investigation officers in the two cases filed after the grenade attack on a rally of AL stalwart Suranjit Sengupta MP at his home town in 2004.
With this, recording of deposition by the prosecution witnesses (PWs) ends, said Special Prosecutor Kishore Kumar Kar.
Deposition of 41 prosecution witnesses is complete and we will need them no more although there were 63 PWs in total, he added.
Yesterday, principal accused outlawed Huji chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and six others were put on the dock. The judge then set 22 September as next court date, the official added.
The cases were filed after the blast on 21 June, 2004 at the upazila headquarters of Derai in Sunamganj left one AL activist killed and over 30 others injured.
The same court on 30 June this year framed charges against the accused and started recording the depositions on 13 July, court sources said.
The prosecution witnesses who gave their deposition yesterday include the then inspector of CID Shafiqur Rahman, who had filed the charge sheets in the sensational cases.
AL activist Abdul Wahid, 45, was killed while at least 30 others sustained injuries following the grenade attack on dais immediately after the public meeting held at Derai.
However, AL stalwart Suranjit Sengupta MP and other leaders escaped unhurt as they got down from the dais moments before the attack.
The Investigation officer was changed 6 times in the case as there had been no clue to the blast.
At last, CID Inspector Shafiqur Rahman on 14 December of 2008 filed charge sheets in the two cases with the Judicial Magistrate's Court in Sunamganj against Huji chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and 6 others for the attack, court sources said.
One of the cases was lodged under Explosive Substances Act and the other for killing.
The other accused are Mufti Abdul Hannan's younger brother Mofizul Islam alias Mohibullah, Shariful Alam Bipul, Delwar Hossain Ripon, Hafij Nayeem Ahmed, Mufti Main Uddin and Naziur Rahman Nazu.