PABNA: A Pabna court sentenced to death nine persons for attacking Sheikh Hasina, the then opposition leader and now prime minister, in 1994.
The court also sentenced 25 others to life term imprisonment and 12 others to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment in the same case.
Additional District and Sessions Judge-1 Md Rustom Ali on Wednesday (July 3) handed down the verdict.
Earlier on July 1, the court fixed today as the date of pronouncement of verdict after concluding the arguments of both sides.
Earlier on Sunday (June 30) the court sent 30 BNP leaders and activists to jail in a case filed for attacking Sheikh Hasina.
Out of 52 accused, 30 appeared before court and sought bail.
The court rejected the bail petitions after hearing arguments on bail petitions filed by the accused.
Ishwardi municipal BNP General Secretary Zakaria Pintu, the main accused in the case, and one of the accused former BNP president and former mayor Mokhlesur Rahman Bablu and BNP leader Humayun Kabir Dulal did not appear before the court.
At the same time, the court also issued warrant against five accused to arrest them who did not appear before it on the day.
According to case statement, Sheikh Hasina, the then opposition leader, came under the attack as soon as the train carrying her reached Ishwardi Railway Station during a countrywide campaign by rail on September 23, 1994
Later, the officer-in-charge of Ishwardi Railway GRP Police Station filed the case with the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader and now the general secretary of Ishwardi municipality BNP Zakaria Pinto and seven others.
After the formation of the Awami League government in 1996, the police initiated further investigation of the case filed for the attack targeting the compartment with hurling crude bombs and firing bullets where she was still inside the train along with her leaders and activists.
At the end of the investigation, 52 people including local BNP, Juba Dal and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leaders were made accused in the case.
BDST: 1248 HRS, JULY 3, 2019
RS/SMS
