Attack on Bernicat’s convoy: Court asks cops to submit report by March 30

Marcia Bernicat

A Dhaka court yesterday again asked investigators to submit by March 30 the investigation report into the case filed over the attack on the convoy of former US ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat in Dhaka in August 2018.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mamunur Rahman Siddiqui passed the order after the Detective Branch of police failed to submit any probe report yesterday.

On December 28 last year, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Shahidul Islam ordered further investigation into the case after Public Prosecutor Md Abdullah Abu submitted an application in this regard.

In the application, the PP said the complainant and five others had earlier given depositions before the court and three of them mentioned the name of Ishtiaque Mahmud, brother-in-law of complainant Badiul Alam Majumdar, as the culprit.

The investigation officer, however, did not include Badiul Alam’s name in the charge sheet and so further investigation is needed to identify the real culprits behind the attack, he said.

On January 20, 2021, after around two and a half years of the probe, Md Abdur Rouf, inspector of the Detective Branch of police and investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the court against nine local leaders and activists of Awami League and Chhatra League of Mohammadpur area.

On March 1 last year, the court framed charges against the nine — Firoz Mahmud, Naimul Hasan Rasel, Mir Amzad Hossain Akash, Sazu Islam, Razibul Islam Razu, Shahidul Alam Khan Kajol, Mozahid Azmi Tanna, Siam and Oli Ahmed Jony.

Shusashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar filed the case with Mohammadpur Police Station on August 10, 2018, following the attack.

On August 4, 2018, the nine accused, along with some 15 to 20 unidentified people, gathered near the Iqbal Road residence of Badiul Alam and chased Bernicat’s car, according to the probe report.

The accused then threw brick chips at it, the report added.

Later, the accused vandalised the house of the complainant and made death threats to his wife and son, according to the charge sheet.