Tarique Rahman acquitted in Gazipur explosives case

A court has acquitted 32 people, including BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, in an explosives case filed by the police of Joydebpur thana in Gazipur.

Judge Md Bahauddin Kazi of Special Tribunal-3 under 2nd District and Sessions Judge Court of Gazipur passed the order after a long hearing on Sunday (November 24), said court sources.

Sources said a parked bus was set on fire by pouring petrol in the Khaspara area of Manipur under the then Hotapara police outpost of Gazipur Sadar upazila in January 2015. SI Dilip Chandra Sarkar of Joydebpur Police Station filed a case over the incident against 18 named accused including Motaleb member of that area as the main accused and 40-45 unknown people.

Later, in August of the same year, SI Emdadul Haque investigated and submitted a charge sheet to the court naming 32 people, including BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and former mayor and state minister late MA Mannan's son Manjurul Karim Rony. Later, the court accepted it.

After a long hearing, all the accused were acquitted from the case on Sunday as the case was proved false.

No state lawyer was present during the hearing in the court. However, a large number of lawyers including Dr Shahiduzzaman, Mehedi Hasan Ellis, Anwar Hossain, Nasir Uddin, Shafiqul Alam Milu and others were present for the defendant.

Earlier on Wednesday (November 20), Judge Pavel Sweet of Gazipur Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court-1 acquitted Tarique Rahman and 60 others in a defamation case. The case was filed against Tarique Rahman in 2014 by the then Gazipur Metropolitan Chhatra League General Secretary Touhidul Islam Dwip, accusing him of making defamatory comments about Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.