Babar ordered destruction of evidence

A police official yesterday told a Dhaka court that without following any court order two live grenades, recovered in front of Awami League office soon after the grenade attack on an AL rally on August 21, 2004, were destroyed with an order from the then state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar.

"I had recovered the two live grenades from the place of occurrence but those were destroyed following an order from the then state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar" said Md Monir Hossain, former sub-inspector of Motijheel Police Station.

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The witness said this yesterday while giving his statement before the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 of Dhaka.   

Judge Shahed Nuruddin recorded statement of the witness and later lawyers for all the accused, including Babar, cross-examined the witness. The court then fixed today for next hearing of the cases.

In his statement, Monir who is now working as an inspector of Rangabali Police Station of Patuakhali told the court that following an order from the then officer-in-charge Md Rafiqul Islam he went to Bangabandhu Avenue for discharging his duties at 8:00pm on August 21, 2004.

"I saw the area surrounded by police forces and there were a large number of shoes, blood-stained shirts, pants and two live grenades. Then I seized the grenades as evidences," said Monir.

Monir also said he communicated with his boss OC Rafiqul Islam regarding how he would keep the grenades. His boss told him that he (OC Rafiq) discussed about it with the home boss who told him that a team of army personnel would come and take an initiative. Around 11:00pm on that night, the army team came and destroyed the grenades without following any court order, said the witness.            

Some 24 leaders and workers of AL, including top leader Ivy Rahman, were killed, and 300 others injured in the grenade attack. Sheikh Hasina narrowly escaped death.