Court records statement of injured AL leader

A wounded Awami League (AL) leader yesterday appeared before a Dhaka court and sought exemplary punishment to the culprits responsible for carrying out the grenade attacks on a rally on Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004.
Judge Mohammad Masdar Hossain of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 recorded statements of Nurul Islam, law secretary of Mahanagar Hawkers' League, and later he was cross-examined by defence lawyers in connection with the August 21, 2004 grenade attack cases.
In his statement, Nurul Islam said he went to Bangabandhu Avenue at about 5:00pm on August 21, 2004 to attend the AL rally where present Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was present.
After a while, several grenades hurled there where Hasina was about to complete her speech on a truck that damaged his hearing power. He also saw a large number of people died including Ivy Rahman, wife of present President Zillur Rahman and several others injured.
The witness went there again the next day where police seized the truck from where Hasina addressed and collected some evidences. He put his signature on the seizure list.
Two more witneeses -- Habibur Rahman and Abdul Malek -- also gave their statements yesterday and were cross-examined by lawyers.
Earlier, 18 other prosecution witnesses had given their statements before the court.
Former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu, Harkatul Jihad (Huji) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and 12 others, now in jail custody, were produced before the court yesterday. Eight others, including Pintu's brother Maulana Tajuddin have been absconding since the cases were filed.