Chhatak Bomb Blast
Ex-AL MP Manik jailed for 10 years
Staff Correspondent, Sylhet
A Sylhet court yesterday sentenced former Awami League lawmaker Muhibur Rahman Manik and two others to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment each for their connection with Chhatak bomb blast that killed two people in March 1999. The Judge of Speedy Trial Tribunal, Sylhet, Shah-e-Alam Chowdhury passed the judgment in a crowded courtroom at 1:35pm. Manik was present at the courtroom and taken to jail after the judgment. The other convicts are Manik's cousin Abul Lais Chowdhury and Gopal Chandra Dass. All the three were fined Tk 5,000 each, in default, they were to suffer six more months of RI. The court acquitted three other chargesheeted accused of the charge. The prosecution charges say that, on 15 March 1999 a bomb went off in Manik's house in Chhatak upazila headquarters of Sunamganj district. Manik's bodyguards Abul Kalam Babul and Arif Haider died on the spot while two others sustained serious wounds. Police and explosive experts of the army later recovered 10 live home-made bombs and ingredients for making bombs from the scene. Manik, who was not home at the time of the explosion, filed a case on March 16. The then officer in charge of Chhatak Police Station Abdus Salam also filed a case on 26 March following reports from the explosive experts. Later, both the cases were transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Assistant Superintendent of Police (CID) Aminul Islam had submitted charge sheet accusing Muhibur Rahman Manik as the principal accused. The other accused were Abul Lais Chowdhury, Biplab Bhuiyan, Billal Ahmed, Zakaria Chowdhury and Gopal. After submission of the charge sheet, police arrested Manik and the others except Gopal, who had been absconding since the blast. All the arrestees, however, were released after the High Court granted them bail. In January 2003, the case was transferred to the Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal in Sylhet from Senior Special Tribunal of Sunamganj that had rejected a naraji (no-confidence) petition against the charge sheet. The court recorded as many as 36 prosecution witnesses and argument ended on October 3. Manik in his reaction told newsmen that he has been deprived of justice and will file an appeal with higher court. Special Public Prosecutor of the Speedy Trial Tribunal Advocate Fokhor Uddin Ahmed conducted the prosecution while Advocate Soleman Raja Chowdhury, Advocate Shamsul Islam Chowdhury and Advocate Rajuddin stood as the defence.
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