Kansat Villain Jailed for 5 yrs; Verdicts in Natore Arson & JMB patronage cases on July 26; Judgement of Gurudaspur thana loot
Ex-BNP MP in Kansat jailed for 5 years
District and Sessions Judge of Chapainawabganj Hrishikesh Saha also fined them Tk 10,000 yesterday; if unpaid they would remain in prison six more months.
The other two convicts are BNP president of Shibganj municipality unit Shafikul Islam and BNP adherent Aynal Haque.
All of them were produced before the court during the delivery of the verdict yesterday. After the verdict, Shahjahan screamed out claiming he was innocent. He told his lawyers that he would appeal in higher court.
One Panaullah filed the case with Shibganj Police Station on April 23 this year accusing the three of extortion. Panaullah in his complaint alleged that the accused, misusing their power, forced him to pay Tk 70,000 on November 19, 2005. They also threatened him with death and harassed him by implicating him in false cases.
Police on June 7 submitted the charge sheet before the court against the three after an investigation.
The accused surrendered before the same court on June 20 and the court framed charges the same day.
Three out of nine witnesses of the case gave depositions supporting the allegation. The trial completed within 90 working days.
Shahjahan is also under trial in four other cases filed in connection with ordering criminal activities, extortion, fraud and misappropriation of people's money.
Shahjahan raised controversy by his role in Kansat, Chapainawabganj early 2006 when Palli Bidyut Unnayan Sangram Parishad led by Golam Rabbani started demonstrating there demanding uninterrupted power supply. He failed to mitigate the power crisis the villagers were going through then. He allegedly had a hand behind the police excess and the shootings that left 17 people dead in Kansat. He supposedly had Rabbani arrested as well.
Verdict of case against Dulu, 93 others on Thursday
The accused were charged with arson and looting 18 houses in three villages in Natore.
The court of additional district magistrate in Natore Rawnak Mahmud heard arguments by state and defence lawyers yesterday before fixing the date.
As many as 28 accused including Dulu were produced before the court.
The court examined the accused under Section 342 of Criminal Procedure Code to know about the allegations against them. All the accused, however, claimed innocence.
While arguing, public prosecutor (PP) Abdul Kader and assistant PP Shamsul Haq Bhuiyan said the depositions of all 26 witnesses corroborated each other and proved allegations against the accused without any doubt.
They sought tough punishment for the accused. Court inspector Abdur Rashid also presented a written argument demanding the same.
In defence, lawyers Shakhawat Hossain and Mozammel Hossain pleaded that most of the witnesses are relatives of the plaintiff and they have political rivalry with the accused.
The plaintiff and witnesses are convicted accused in Dulu's nephew Gama murder case and so they gave false depositions, they claimed.
Natore district Jatiya Chhatra Samaj president Asaduzzaman Shah filed the case with Naldanga police station on February 25 in 2004 accusing 105 persons.
On May 3, officer-in-charge of Naldanga Police Station Arman Hossain submitted two separate charge sheets one for arson and looting and another under Explosives Act accusing 94 persons.
Later, the charge sheets were sent to ADM and district judge's courts for trial. Charges were framed at the ADM court on June 27.
According to charges, the accused persons launched a series of attacks in Ramsa Kazipur (Dulu's village home), Shahpara and Amtali Bazar villages at Dulu's instigations to retaliate the murder of the former minister's nephew Sabbir Ahmed Gama on February 7, 2004.
Dulu's armed cadres unleashed a reign of terror in the areas blasting bombs and firing gunshots, it was alleged in the charges.
The arrested included Dulu's brothers Nabi Talukder, Rafik Talukder, cousins Atikur Rahman, Nurunnabi Talukder, Abidur Rahman, Mojibor Rahman, nephews Rentu, Belal, Helal and Bulbul, nephews-in-law Rahim Newaz and Natore Pourasabha ward commissioners Sadrul Huda Dambel and Nasim Khan.
Verdict of case against Aminul, Shish, 26 others Thursday
Verdict in the case against BNP leader and former minister Barrister Aminul Haque, Rajshahi district BNP secretary Shish Muhammad and 25 others for allegedly financing and abetting JMB militants will be delivered on July 26.
The second court of Additional Sessions Judge Rezaul Islam fixed the date yesterday after argument by the state and defense lawyers.
"JMB militants came into being, flourished and continued criminal activities unabated with finance and assistance from Barrister Aminul, Shish Muhammad and other ruling party men", said public prosecutor Ekramul Haque during argument.
He told the court argued that at least three eye witnesses among a total of 15 prosecution witnesses (PWs) and many other evidences proved the allegations beyond doubt.
"Aminul was a minister and he was responsible for the district and its law and order. He had learnt about the rise and criminal activities of JMB through various newspapers and media reports. Despite that, he did not take any action to control the criminals", Ekramul pleaded.
"Aminul's silence (about militants' activities) corroborated the depositions of witnesses and it is proved that he (Aminul) was one of the abettors and conspirators", he said.
"Aminul and some other politicians directly and indirectly financed and patronised JMB and they instigated the militants to collect toll for their smooth operation", said the PP.
Additional PP Nurul Islam pleaded that four PWs testified that they saw militants talking with Barrister Aminul over mobile phone and the militants boasted of having link with the minister and his men.
Lawyers Hamidul Haque, Mansur Rahman, Ankur Sen, Abul Kalam moved in defense.
They said, the case was false and filed with an ulterior motive to harass personal and political rivals, taking advantage of a changed political situation.
They said, the prosecution side did not come up with many essential witnesses and evidences. Moreover, they could not show any material evidences against the accused.
The judge said, "The witnesses and evidences and argument will be thoroughly examined to uphold law".
JMB torture victim Fazlur Rahman lodged the case on March 30 with Bagmara police station. Rahman, a farmer of Hasanpur village in Bagmara, was abducted, tortured and forced to pay ransom for release by militants in April 2004.
Sub-inspector Mukhtar Hossain submitted charge sheet of the case on April 23.
Ten of the accused were at the court dock during argument. Aminul, Shish are among 17 absconding accused.
Other accused include Union Parishad chairmen Besaratullah and Rafikul Islam, JMB leaders Mostafizur Rahman Mostak, Prof Lutfar Rahman, Abdus Sattar BSc, Siddik, Korban Ali, Akram, Amjad, Monayem, Abul Member and Montu.
A Natore court yesterday sentenced 60 people to 84 years imprisonment in two cases--Gurudaspur Police Station looting and murder of a cop during the incident--in Natore district in 1987.
Additional Sessions Judge Jebunnesa pronounced the judgment in a packed courtroom. The judge also fined the convicts Tk 20,000 each in the cases, in default they are to suffer another two years in jail.
Of the convicts, 46 were present in the court, six died during trial of the cases and the rest have been absconding.
Those present in the dock during delivering of the judgment are Ansar Ali Jasim, Saiful Tota, Aziz, Yunus, Abu Sayeed, Abed, Hatem, Motalib, Shahjahan, Abdul, Lutfar, Jhantu, Majid, Jonika, Rois, Akram, Omar, Laddu, Yunus, Aktar, Manik, Idris, Ismail, Bankes, Salam, Mannan, Reaz, Khoda Bux, Rashid, Mukul, Salam, Golam Rabbani, Jalal, Mojibor Rahman, Altaf, Kader, Amjad, Bakkar, Rafiq, Bhulon, Nazir, Nurul, Rahman, Faruk, Nurul and Shakhawat.
The 14 absconding accused are Sobhan, Zahangir, Lalu, Latif, Kamal, Nabir, Kader, Hamiduzzaman, Gopal Thakur, Shahid, Fazlu, Saiful, Amin and Yakub Pakhi.
The accused who died during the trial are Jalil, Enamul, Rustom, Sattar, Asgar and Ali.
In the police station looting case, the accused were given 52 years' jail under Section 3 of the Explosives Act of 1908 and under Section 4 of the same act.
The accused were also awarded another 32 years' imprisonment for killing a policeman during the looting.
According to the prosecution, a gang of armed criminals attacked Gurudaspur Police Station in Natore on February 24, 1987. They shot dead constable Habibur Rahman and took away three arrested persons, Abdus Sattar, Abed Ali, Abdul Hakim, breaking open the hajat.
The armed gang also looted 24 firearms and 1380 bullets from the police station and left the scene firing gunshots, blasting crackers and chanting slogans in favour of Purbo Banglar Communist Party.
Sub Inspector Wabaidul Haq lodged the two cases with the police station concerned 20 days after the incident.
During police investigation, three of the arrested accused gave judicial confession. But police failed to recover the looted arms and ammunition.
On November 15, 1990, Niranjan Chandra Saha, superintendent of CID police, submitted two separate charge sheets in the cases accusing 66 people.
In 1993, the case went to Natore District and Sessions Judge's Court for trial.
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