Live Correspondent: A court here today sentenced 10 members of banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) in a case lodged over murder of five people in bomb attack at a rally of Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) in the capital in 2001.

The convicts, who have been sentenced to death, are- Mufti Moin Uddin Sheikh, Arif Hossain Sumon, Mawlana Sabbir Ahmed, Shawkat Osman alias Sheikh Farid, Jahangir Alam Badar, Mohibul Muttakin, Aminul Mursalin, Mufti Abdul Hai, Mufti Shafikur Rahman and Nur Islam.

The court also acquitted Moshiur Rahman and Rafiqul Islam from the case. Dhaka Additional 3rd Metropolitan Sessions Judge Robiul Alam passed the verdict at around 11.20am in a crowded courtroom. Five people were killed and 20 others injured in the attack on CPB rally in capital’s Paltan Maidan on January 20, 2001.

Then CPB president Manzurul Ahsan Khan filed the case with Motijheel Police Station. But police had given final report in 2003, saying it did not find any credible evidences in the case.

Police in 2005 reopened the case and on November 26, 2013, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) gave charge sheets against 13 militants of banned militant outfit Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) including it’s then chief Mufti Abdul Hannan in two cases lodged over murder and explosives substances acts.

Dhaka 20 January (campuslive24.com)//az