Babar was quick to ruin evidence

A top policeman in court yesterday accused former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar of destroying evidence in connection with the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka.
SM Mizanur Rahman, who had become acting commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police just three hours prior to the attack, was deposing before a Dhaka court yesterday.
Mizanur, now on leave preparatory to retirement (LPR), told the court, "On the very day of the grenade attack, Babar hurriedly directed army experts to destroy two live grenades that had been recovered from the place of occurrence, even though I had told him [Babar] that the grenades were very essential evidence…"

Mizanur told the court that Babar and several others were perhaps involved in the grenade attack.
The attack was aimed at assassinating Awami League President and now Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She was leader of the opposition then. Even though Hasina narrowly escaped with her life, 24 Awami League leaders and workers were killed and 300 others were injured. Ivy Rahman, a top Awami League leader and wife of now President Zillur Rahman, was one of the 24 slain in the attack.
Mizanur told the court yesterday, "The former state minister for home affairs' initiative [to destroy the recovered grenades] proved that he tried to destroy evidence.”
Babar was sitting in the dock of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 when Mizanur, the 63rd prosecution witness, testified. He mostly talked about Babar's role before and after the attack.
Mizanur told the court that he had taken an initiative so that survivors of the attack could file cases against the criminals responsible for the attack, but Babar prevented him from doing anything of that sort. Babar rather directed police to file cases in connection with the attack.
In his two-hour testimony, Mizanur said Babar did not even take any initiative to deploy sufficient number of law enforcers for Sheikh Hasina's security at the rally on that day.
Mizanur said he was given charge of acting DMP commissioner on August 21, 2004, after then DMP commissioner Ashraful Huda went abroad three hours prior to the attack.
Around 5:40pm on August 21, 2004, Mizanur learnt about the attack on the Awami League rally and directed the then deputy commissioner (east) Obaidur Rahman to keep him informed with details of the incident.
He said Obaidur had told him that “bombs exploded” at the Awami League rally at Bangabandhu Avenue and at the same time, Babar called him over mobile phone and directed him to look into the matter.
“I directed DC Obaidur to look into the incident and take immediate measures to get the situation under control,'' Mizanur added.
DC Obaidur told Mizanur that Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was all right and that she had gone home safely.
Babar and the then inspector general of police Shahidul Haque again directed Mizanur over mobile phone to control the situation with an iron fist as agitators had begun vandalising and torching vehicles at different places in the capital, the witness said.
Mizanur said for a few weeks when he was discharging his duty as acting DMP commissioner, he wanted to take action against some police officials, including deputy commissioner Obaidur, in connection with negligence of duty to ensure security at the rally.
"State minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar and the then IGP Shahidul Haque prevented me from doing this," Mizanur told the court.
After the attack, Mizanur had requested Babar and the IGP to visit the spot as per official procedure but they said, “Do your duty properly'', the witness said.
“I handed over charge to the then DMP commissioner Ashraful Huda on his return to the country from America [USA]. I had informed him about the incident when he was there. But he prevented me from making any comments about the incident,'' Mizanur added.
A total of 52 accused, including Babar, the then IGP Shahidul Haque, the then DMP commissioner Ashraful Huda, the then DC Obaidur Rahman, are facing trial in the two cases filed in connection with the August 21, 2004 grenade attack.
Mizanur will be cross-examined on August 12.