A special tribunal has sentenced 14 people to death for planting a bomb at a temporary helipad in Gopalganj’s Sheikh Lutfor Rahman Government Ideal College ground to kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2000.
Judge Abu Jafar Md Kamruzzaman of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 passed the verdict on Tuesday.
Earlier on March 11, Judge Abu Jafar Md Kamruzzaman fixed March 23 for the verdict announcement as both prosecution and defence concluded their arguments in the case on that day.
The death row convicts are Md Azizul Haque alias Shanewaj, Md Lokman, Md Eusuf, Mochahab Hossain, Sheikh Md Enamul Haque, Md Mofijur Rahman, Md Mahmud Ajhar, Md Rasheduzzaman, Md Tarek, Md Wadud Sheikh, Md Anisul Islam, Sarwar Hossain Miah, Mawlana Amirul Islam and Mawlana Rafikul Islam Khan.
According to the case documents, members of the Bangladesh Army recovered a 76-kg powerful bomb on July 21, 2000, from the premises of Sheikh Lutfor Rahman Government Ideal College in Kotalipara Upazila of Gopalganj where Sheikh Hasina was scheduled to address a rally.
The then sub-inspector Nur Hossain of Kotalipara police station filed a case under the Explosive Substances Act in this regard.
On November 15, 2001, ASP Abdul Kahhar Akand filed the charge-sheet in the case and the court on November 21, 2004, framed charges against the accused.
A total of 34 witnesses out of 50 were examined by the court in the case.
nh/sik
