'Injured persons not found' in the movement: PBI recommends acquittal of 113 including Sheikh Hasina

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has recommended acquittal of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 113 accused in an assassination attempt case filed at Dhanmondi Police Station during the July uprising, as the existence and whereabouts of the injured could not be confirmed. This information was obtained from the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court. A new discussion has started in the political and legal arenas on the matter.

The list of accused in the case, along with Sheikh Hasina, includes her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former ministers Hasan Mahmud, Mohammad A Arafat, Junaid Ahmed Palak, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Awami League leaders Mahbub ul Alam Hanif, Shamim Osman, Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain, General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan, and a total of 113 people. The report states that the PBI did not find the truth of the allegations against these accused after investigating the case.

Earlier, on November 5, the investigation officer of the case, PBI Inspector Shahjahan Bhuiyan, submitted a final report to the court. There, he mentioned that there were 'factual errors' in the case. The court has set the next hearing date for the case on February 3.

According to the background of the case, the case was filed at Dhanmondi Police Station on September 3, 2024. The case details state that Shahed Ali was injured in front of Meena Bazar, Dhanmondi No. 27, on his way home from work on August 4 during the July Uprising. It is alleged that a total of nine people, including some students of Dhaka College and City College, were injured at that time. In this incident, Shahed's alleged brother Sharif filed a case accusing 113 people, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

In the initial investigation, the police station arrested four people. Later, the investigation of the case was handed over to the PBI. During the investigation, PBI officer Shahjahan Bhuiyan failed to find the injured Shahed Ali and other injured people. He collected information by writing letters to the Border Square Market, Dhaka College, City College and various hospitals around the scene. At the same time, a notice was sent to the plaintiff requesting him to produce his brother, but no response was received.

The investigation report further states that when a notice was sent to the address provided by the plaintiff, the landlord said that he did not know anyone named Sharif. Upon checking the national identity card, it was found that the plaintiff's real name is Shariful Islam and he is the son of Sirajul Islam of Mandari area of ​​Lakshmipur Sadar Upazila. After searching there, it was found that the locals could not recognize anyone with that name.

The report mentions that the plaintiff's mobile phone number is switched off most of the time. Although WhatsApp is sometimes active, direct contact was not possible. At one stage, although the investigation officer met the investigation officer near Dhanmondi Lake through WhatsApp, the injured victim was not produced or any medical documents were provided. Even the complaint did not mention any information related to the medical treatment of the injured.

As the overall investigation did not find any credible evidence to support the allegations, the PBI submitted a final report to the court recommending the acquittal of 113 accused including Sheikh Hasina. It is now learnt that a final decision on this matter will be taken in the next hearing of the court.