CID allowed to quiz ex-OC Rafique

A Dhaka court yesterday allowed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to interrogate AKM Rafiqul Islam, the then officer-in-charge (OC) of Motijheel Police Station, at the jail gate in connection with the case for charging grenades at an Awami League (AL) rally on August 21, 2004.
Rafique, also an accused in a case for killing college student Kamrul Islam Momin on September 13, 2005, was sent to jail on October 16 after he surrendered before the court. He has been in jail custody since then.
Metropolitan Magistrate Ehsanul Haque passed the order after CID Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Fazlul Kabir, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted a petition for interrogating Rafique.
In his petition, the IO mentioned that Rafique should be grilled about the grenade attack on the AL rally for the sake of proper investigation.
A group of miscreants hurled grenades at the AL rally leaving 24 leaders and workers of the party dead and 300 others injured.
On November 1 last year, Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (Huji) leader Mufti Mohammad Hannan and two others of the banned outfit admitted to carrying out the August 21 grenade attack to kill Awami League President and former premier Sheikh Hasina.
Later, three more Huji members confessed before magistrates on different dates that they were involved in the attack.
Former deputy minister and BNP leader Abdus Salam Pintu was arrested and placed on remand in connection with the case.
Three arrestees including Joj Miah had given confessional statements earlier and disclosed names of several members of 'Seven Star' group who were allegedly involved in the attack.
Law enforcers arrested 30 more people in connection with the case. Of them, 21 were granted bail by the High Court and judge's court on different dates.