10 Huji men to die for attempted murder of Hasina

A Dhaka court has sentenced ten members of banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami (Huji) to death in the much-talk-about case filed over the attempted murder of Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2000.

Judge Momtaz Begum of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-2 passed the order on Sunday.

The court also sentenced nine people to 20-year imprisonment in another case filed under Explosives Act in the same incident.

On July 21, 2000, the 76kg bomb was recovered at the Sheikh Lutfor Rahman Government Ideal College under Kotalipara upazila in Gopalganj which was planted aiming to kill the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was supposed to address a rally there the next day.

Sub-Inspector Nur Hossain of Kotalipara Police Station filed the case under the Explosive Substances Act following the incident.

Criminal Investigation Department submitted the charge sheet against Huji chief Mufti Hannan and 24 others on April 8 in 2001, showing 83 people as prosecution witnesses.

In the meantime, prime accused Hannan was hanged on April 12, 2017 at Kashimpur High-Security Prison for killing three people and injuring former British high commissioner in Bangladesh and dozen others in Sylhet 13 years ago.