Ex-police, NSI bosses appeal for exclusion

Former IGP Shahudul Haque and former NSI director general Maj Gen (retd) Rezzaqul Haider Chowdhury yesterday appealed to a Dhaka court to discharge them from the August 21 grenade attack cases.
They submitted the discharge petitions before the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 when it resumed the hearing on charge framing against 52 accused including BNP Senior Vice-chairman Tarique Rahman.
Earlier on the day, the counsel for Kashmir based Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Golam Mohammad alias Abdul Malek completed his argument on a discharge petition.
The then opposition leader, Sheikh Hasina, narrowly survived the grenade attack on an Awami League rally in 2004, but 24 people including incumbent President Zillur Rahman's wife Ivy Rahman were killed and scores maimed.
A total of 16 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 Harkatul Jihad al Islami leader Maulana Abu Taher so far appealed to the court to be discharged from the cases.
BNP Senior Vice-chairman Tarique Rahman and 18 other accused are absconding.
The Criminal Investigation Department on July 3 submitted supplementary charge sheets mentioning 30 names in addition to the 22 accused of the main charge sheets.
The prosecution on October 9 placed proposals for framing charges against all accused.
Thirty-two accused, including Babar and Mojaheed, now in jail, were produced before the court yesterday. Ariful Islam Arif, DCC ward councillor, now on bail, was also present.
Judge Shahed Nuruddin fixed December 13 for the next hearing.