Court Report: The High Court has acquitted all accused, including nine individuals previously sentenced to death, in the case involving the attempted assassination of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ishwardi Railway Station in Pabna. The verdict was announced on Wednesday (February 5) by a bench comprising Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam and Justice Hamidur Rahman.
During the hearing, the defense was represented by lawyers Kaiser Kamal, Mohammad Maksudullah, Jamil Akhtar Elahi, and AHM Kamruzzaman Mamun. Deputy Attorney General Mohammad Mujibur Rahman appeared for the state.
Earlier, on January 30, the High Court had scheduled February 5 for the verdict after concluding hearings on the death reference, appeals, and jail appeals of the accused.
In this case, on July 3, 2019, Special Tribunal-3’s acting judge and Pabna’s additional district and sessions judge, Md. Rustam Ali, had delivered the verdict. The court sentenced nine individuals to death, 25 to life imprisonment, and 13 to 10 years in prison. All the convicted individuals were former or current leaders and activists of BNP, Chhatra Dal, and Jubo Dal.
The judicial court’s verdict and related documents were sent to the High Court’s death reference section in 2019, where it was registered as a death reference case. In criminal cases, if a judicial court sentences someone to death, the High Court’s approval is required for execution, known as a death reference case.
Additionally, the accused can file regular appeals and jail appeals against the judicial court’s verdict in the High Court. Typically, death references and such appeals are heard together in the High Court.
Regarding the case, lawyer Barrister Kaiser Kamal told reporters that the law was misapplied. He stated that nine individuals were sentenced to death without any evidence against them, calling it a biased trial.
He criticized the investigation as superficial and imaginary, alleging that the judicial court delivered the verdict with malicious intent to settle personal vendettas and please certain individuals. Out of the 47 convicted by the judicial court, two have since passed away. Apart from the nine sentenced to death, the others were released on bail after August 5.
Deputy Attorney General Mohammad Mujibur Rahman informed reporters that the hearings on the death reference, appeals, and jail appeals had concluded, and the court had set February 5 for the verdict.
The incident dates back to September 23, 1994, when Awami League President Sheikh Hasina was traveling by train from Khulna to Syedpur to attend a party program in the northern region. As the train entered Ishwardi Railway Junction Station in Pabna, it was attacked.
The assailants allegedly fired shots and hurled bombs at the train. Following the incident, a case was filed by then Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Ishwardi GRP (Railway Police) Station, Nazrul Islam. Seven individuals, including former Chhatra Dal leader and Ishwardi Municipal BNP General Secretary (suspended committee) Zakaria Pintu, were named as accused.
A year after the case was filed, police submitted a final charge sheet to the court without finding any witnesses. At the time, BNP was in power. However, the court rejected the charge sheet and sent the case to the CID for further investigation.
After Awami League came to power in 1996, the case was reinvestigated. On April 3, 1997, police submitted another charge sheet to the court, naming 52 individuals, including leaders and activists of BNP, Jubo Dal, and Chhatra Dal in Ishwardi.