DHAKA, 3 October 2004 — The one-man judicial commission probing the grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Dhaka on Aug. 21 submitted its report to Home Secretary Omar Faruqe yesterday.
Earlier, Justice Joynul Abedin, a judge of the High Court and chairman of the commission, met the press and described the attack as a national calamity. In order to stop the recurrence of such attacks, he pleaded for forging unity between the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the opposition Awami League on various national issues.
He also made a fervent call to the civil society to take steps for uniting the ruling and the opposition parties, saying it is the need of the day to secure stability and socio-political and economic development.
The report tried to identify the perpetrators of the attack and the failure of security personnel, said Justice Abedin.
Justice Abedin said the commission had recorded depositions of 123 people including the wounded, hospital doctors, witnesses to the incident, forensic experts, chiefs of different intelligence agencies, retired military officers and eminent personalities. He said he had mentioned the issue of non-appearance of Awami League leaders before the commission in the report. Asked about who might be behind the attack and who would have been the beneficiary, Justice Abedin said, “We have considered all possibilities including local and foreign powers.”
About allegations and counter-allegations made by the government and the opposition blaming each other for the incident, he said, “I have discussed this issue in my report and given an answer in this regard.”
About the neutrality of the commission raised by the opposition whose leader did not talk to the judicial body, he said, “I have had no talks with the leaders of the opposition but I have taken evidence from many of their workers and activists who were injured in the attack.”
