Tarique and 14 other convicts in grenade attack case are fugitives: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday told Parliament that 15 convicts in the August 21 grenade attack case, including BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, have been absconding.

"Out of the 49 convicts, 34 had been arrested. Fifteen convicts including Tarique Rahman alias Tarqiue Zia are currently fugitives," she said.

The PM said this while replying to a question from Awami League lawmaker Farida Yasmin (Women Seat-35) during the question-answer session.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury tabled the question-answer session at the beginning of the day's sitting of the Parliament, which started around 4pm.

The premier said a total of 49 accused were sentenced in the trial of the grenade attack case as the judge of Dhaka's Speedy Trial Tribunal No-1 passed the judgment on October 10, 2018.

"Among the convicts, 19 were sentenced to death, while 19 others to life imprisonment and the rest 11 ones to various jail terms," she added.

She said Interpol issued red notices against accused Maulana Tajuddin, Harris Chowdhury, and Ratul Ahmed Babu alias Ratul Babu who are absconding abroad. Efforts are on to arrest the convicted fugitives.

Two cases — one under the penal code and another under Explosives Substances law-– were lodged over the barbaric grenade attack on an anti-terrorism rally arranged by Awami League in the capital's Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004.

Hasina, then opposition leader, survived the gruesome attack, but it left 24 people dead and over 500 injured.

In reply to a question from ruling party lawmaker Anwar Hossain Khan (Laxmipur-1), the prime minister said the government had designed a project to prevent the loss of lives due to lightning in the 15 lightning-prone districts.

The proposed project for the installation of some 6,793 lightning rods/lightning protection canopies has been sent to the Planning Commission, she said.

Responding to a question from AL lawmaker Md Mainul Hossain Khan (Dhaka-14), Sheikh Hasina said an initiative has been taken to establish a state-of-the-art national emergency operation centre on one acre of land in the capital's Tejgaon area with the cooperation of China, aiming to deal with earthquakes and other mega-disasters.

The implementation work will begin by formulating a project for this building that can withstand an 8-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale, she said.

Answering a question from independent lawmaker Abdullah Nahid Niger (Gaibandha-1), the PM said the tribunals set up after 2009 to try crimes against humanity and war criminals have so far disposed of 56 cases and 153 accused were sentenced to death or different jail terms.

He said the present government has relentlessly been working to establish the rule of law by guaranteeing fair trials to reduce the suffering of justice seekers. The government is committed to ensuring justice based on equality for all, irrespective of the rich and poor, and establishing justice in the society by making visible development in the judiciary, she said