DHAKA, 15 November 2005 — Two judges were killed in a bomb attack by suspected Muslim extremists yesterday in the southern coastal district town of Jhalakati. Three people, including one of the bombers, were injured in the attack that triggered countrywide protests by judges.
Police identified the two murdered judges as Sohel Ahmed, 32, senior assistant judge of Nalchhiti, and Jagannath Pandey, 35, senior assistant judge of Sadar.
Police said a young man threw a bomb at the minibus that was taking them to court as soon as it stopped to pick up another judge near the government staff quarters at the Purba Chandkathi neighborhood of the town around nine in the morning. Sohel died instantly while Pandey died on way to Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital.
Police said they found a bomb in the pocket of the injured bomber whom they identified as Mamun of Rajshahi. Papers found on him indicated his link with Jamaatul Mujihideen Bangladesh (JMB), police said.
Judges across Bangladesh walked out of their courts to protest the attack and demand better security, said Rafiqul Islam, a spokesman for the Judicial Services Association.
Judges and other government officials were targeted in a series of attacks that left four people dead and dozens injured earlier this year, blamed on the outlawed group JMB. The group wants to establish Islamic laws in Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation of 140 million ruled by a secular constitution.
No one claimed responsibility for yesterday’s attack.
