Joj Mia's statement was 'correct': Pintu

BNP leader and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu yesterday told a Dhaka court that Joj Mia's confessional statement that was given to a magistrate in connection with the August 21 grenade attack cases, was "correct."
Joj Mia, who was arrested at his home village in Senbagh of Noakhali on June 10, 2005, told the magistrate that the seven-star group consisting 14, including Subrata Bain Suvro, Molla Masud, and Tanvir Islam Joy, carried out the attack.
But the investigation officer (IO) dropped Joj's name from the charge sheet terming his statement "false and fabricated."
Pintu said the prosecution implicated him in the cases to harass him politically, though his name was not mentioned when 61 prosecution witnesses had given their statement before the court earlier.
So, he should be discharged from the charges, Pintu added.
Pintu said this yesterday while he was moving his discharge petition as Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 resumed the hearing on charge framing against 52 persons in the cases.
According to the prosecution, a meeting was held at his (Pintu) Dhanmondi residence before the grenade attacks on an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004.
With this, a total of 12 accused, including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, former inspector general of police Khoda Baksh Chowdhury, former director general of National Security Intelligence Abdur Rahim, Lt Commander (retd) Saiful Islam Duke and Huji leader Maulana Abu Taher appealed to the court to be discharged from the charges.