Dhaka: The High Court (HC) has acquitted all 47 individuals previously convicted, including nine who were sentenced to death, in connection with an attack on a train carrying Sheikh Hasina, then the leader of the opposition, in Ishwardi, Pabna in 1994. The judgment was announced by a High Court division bench comprising Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam and Justice Md Hamidur Rahman, following a thorough examination of the convicts’ death references and jail appeals.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the High Court criticized the lower court’s previous judgment as inhuman and ordered the immediate release of the acquitted individuals. Barristers Kaiser Kamal Kamruzzaman Mamun, Jamil Akter Elahi, and Maksud Ullah represented the defense during the hearing, while Deputy Attorney General Mohammad Mojibur Rahman argued on behalf of the state.
The original verdict, delivered by Pabna Additional District and Session Judge Rustom Ali on July 3, 2019, had sentenced nine individuals to death. The convicted included prominent figures such as the former BNP president of Ishwardi municipality unit AKM Akteruzzaman, and other BNP affiliates. Additionally, 25 people were sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Taka three lakh each, while 13 others received 10-year jail terms with fines of Taka one lakh each.
The case documents reveal that on September 23, 1994, Sheikh Hasina was journeying from Khulna to Syedpur via train, conducting rallies at various stations. As the train stopped at Pakshey Railway Station in Pabna’s Ishwardi upazila, it came under attack involving crude bombs and gunfire, which persisted until the train reached Ishwardi Railway Station. Initially, police filed the case against seven individuals, but later charged 52 BNP members in a charge sheet dated April 4, 1997.