HC acquits all 47 accused in 1994 assassination attempt on Sheikh Hasina

The High Court has acquitted all accused, including nine individuals who were previously sentenced to death, in the case of the 1994 assassination attempt on then-opposition leader and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina at Ishwardi railway station.

The verdict was announced yesterday by a High Court bench comprising Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam and Justice Hamidur Rahman.

Defence lawyer Kaiser Kamal, along with advocate Md Maksud Ullah, represented the accused, while Deputy Attorney General Md Mujibur Rahman appeared for the state.

Earlier, on 30 January, the High Court concluded hearings on the death references, appeals, and jail appeals, setting 5 February as the date for the verdict.

On 3 July 2019, Md Rustam Ali, acting judge of Special Tribunal-3 and additional district and sessions judge of Pabna, sentenced nine individuals to death, 25 to life imprisonment, and 13 others to 10 years in prison.

All convicted were leaders and activists of the BNP, Chhatra Dal, and Jubo Dal.

Following the verdict, the death references were sent to the High Court for approval, and the accused filed appeals for acquittal.

Defence lawyer Kaiser argued that the case involved legal misapplication and was politically motivated. 

He claimed that the investigation was flawed and fabricated, leading to an unjust verdict by the trial court. Among the 47 convicted, two had already passed away, while the others, except for the nine on death row, were released on bail after 5 August 2019.

On 23 September 1994, Sheikh Hasina was travelling by train from Khulna to Syedpur (Nilphamari) for a party programme when attackers opened fire and hurled bombs at the train near Ishwardi railway junction. 

Journos attacked by 'BNP men'

A group of people attacked journalists shortly after the High Court acquitted the accused in the 1994 assassination attempt case.

The attack occurred in front of the HC's Annex building around noon. ATN News senior reporter Javed Akhtar was injured, and a reporter's microphone was broken. Several other journalists were also beaten.

The journalists had been waiting for a briefing from the lawyers of the accused when more than 20 men – allegedly BNP leaders and activists – suddenly caused a disturbance in the presence of BNP Chairperson's adviser Habibur Rahman Habib.

In protest, the journalists boycotted the briefing and staged a sit-in at the Annex premises. They demanded a fair investigation into the incident and the identification of those responsible.

The Law Reporters Forum condemned the attack, stating that violence against journalists while performing their professional duties is completely unacceptable.