Ramna Batamul bombing: HC's verdict on May 8

The High Court’s verdict on the 2001 bombing incident at the Ramna Batamul during the Chhayanaut's Pohela Boishakh (Bengali New Year) celebrations will be announced on May 8.

On Wednesday, the bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasreen Akter announced the date for the verdict.

Earlier, on February 18, the hearings on the death reference and jail appeals of the convicted accused, against the judgment of the lower court, were completed. Following the hearings, the case was kept in CAV (awaiting judgment).

In the court, the defense was represented by senior lawyers SM Shahjahan and Sarwar Ahmed, while Deputy Attorney General Sultana Akter Ruby represented the state.

On April 14, 2001, a bomb attack occurred during Chhayanaut's Pohela Boishakh celebrations at Ramna Botmul. Nine people were killed on the spot, and one later died in the hospital. On the same day, Sergeant Amal Chandra Chand of Nilkhet Police Outpost filed two cases under the Murder and Explosives Act at the Ramna Police Station.

On November 30, 2008, the police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed charges against 14 individuals in the two cases. After witness testimonies, the trial court delivered a verdict on June 23, 2014, in the murder case. The trial court sentenced eight people, including the top leader of the banned militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad (HuJI), Mufti Abdul Hannan, to death and sentenced six others to life imprisonment.

The death-sentenced individuals are: Mufti Abdul Hannan, Maulana Akbar Hossain, Arif Hasan Suman, Maulana Tajuddin, Hafiz Jahangir Alam Badr, Maulana Abu Bakar (also known as Maulana Hafiz Selim Howlader), Maulana Abdul Hai, and Maulana Shafiqul Rahman. Among them, Mufti Hannan’s death sentence has already been carried out in connection with the grenade attack case in Sylhet.

After the trial court’s verdict, the case was referred to the High Court as a death reference, and jail appeals were filed. Later, after preparing the paper book, the case was listed on the court's agenda. While the murder case verdict has been announced, the explosives case is still pending at the Dhaka 1st Speedy Trial Tribunal.