Attack on Suranjit: Court gives death to one; acquits Minister Ariful, MP Babar, Whip Gouse

A court on Thursday sentenced one person to death and acquitted eight others, including incumbent Expatriate Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury, Netrokona-4 Member of Parliament Lutfozzaman Babar, and current Jatiya Sangsad Whip GK Gouse, in the attempted murder case of former Awami League minister Suranjit Sengupta. 

Sylhet Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal Judge Swapan Kumar Sarkar delivered the verdict in the much-discussed case.

The matter was confirmed by the court's public prosecutor (PP) Abul Hossain.

The death penalty was given to Naeem Ahmed Arif.  

Huji leader Mufti Hannan and his cohort Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul, who were also accused in the Sengupta case, had been executed earlier. 

According to court sources, of the remaining nine accused in the case, six are imprisoned, three are on bail, and one is absconding.

The rest acquitted are: Taj Uddin, Muhibullah alias Mofizur Rahman, Mufti Moin Uddin alias Abu Jandal, Khwaja Md Abdul Majed Bhat alias Yusuf Bhat and Naziur Rahman Naju.  

Under tight security, Ariful Haque, Lutfozzaman Babar, Gouse, alongside the others accused before the court. 

At noon, in a crowded courtroom, Judge Swapan Kumar Sarkar found the accused innocent and ordered their acquittal.

Earlier, in April this year, the accused appeared before the court and claimed complete innocence, and the final arguments in the case began in the same month.

The three BNP leaders who were acquitted expressed satisfaction with the verdict. 

"The previous fascist government made us accused in this case for political harassment. Our names were not in the FIR of the case. Later, our names were included through a supplementary charge sheet. Today, the truth has been established through the verdict," Expatriate Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said.

Babar, who was state minister for the home affairs ministry when the attack took place, said he had been imprisoned for a long time over false charges.

"I was implicated in one case after another because I refused to give false testimony against former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia and current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman…Today, those who harassed and tortured me have fled. And we have been acquitted."

Gouse, who had also been imprisoned in various prisons across the country for a long time, said, “Today, justice has been established through the verdict."

According to the case documents, on June 21, 2004, a political public meeting was organised at Dirai Bazar in Sunamganj. The chief guest at the meeting was then Awami League leader and former minister Suranjit Sengupta. 

During the public meeting, a sudden grenade and bomb attack took place, leaving a Jubo League leader dead and 29 others, including Sengupta, injured. 

After the investigation, law enforcement agencies submitted a charge sheet to the court against several individuals, the three BNp leaders.

The verdict in this long-pending trial, one of the region's most high-profile political violence cases, had created widespread curiosity and excitement in the court area from Thursday morning. 

The 22-year-long legal process finally came to a close following the verdict.