Today is Monday (January 27), the day of ‘Baioddyer Bazaar Tragedy’. Former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria, a member of the parliament of Habiganj-Lakhai, was killed in a grenade attack on this day in 2005. In the attack, Shah AMS Kibria's nephew Shah Manjurul Huda was also killed along with five others. At least hundreds of activists were injured.
But even in the last 15 years, the trial for the horrific murder has not been completed. Even after the transfer of the case to the Sylhet Speedy Trial Tribunal, only 43 witnesses of the 171 witnesses have been completed in 15 years of the incident.
Due to such a slow pace of cases, extreme frustration and resentment over the trial are widespread among the family members of the district.
What happened on that day?
In the afternoon of January 27, the then Habibganj-1 constituency MP and former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria joined a post Eid meeting at the Baioddyer Bazaar in Habiganj Sadar upazila. The criminals threw grenades at him on his way back from the public meeting in the evening. Many leaders including Shah AMS Kibria were injured in the grenade attack. Locals rescued the injured including Kibria and took them to Habiganj Sadar Modern Hospital. But bleeding of Shah AMS Kibria and the then district Awami League general secretary advocate Md. Abu Zahir was not being stopped in any way. Kibria and Abu Zahir, along with other injured, were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital without being able to make rapid helicopter arrangements. On the way to Dhaka, Shah ASM Kibria succumbed to his injuries.
Kibria murder trial
Abdul Majid Khan, the then organizing secretary of Habiganj district Awami League, filed two cases under murder and explosive law. Domestic and foreign agencies worked to investigate the case. But the investigation was conducted not impartially but from the political point of view.
On March 20 of 2005, the then Assistant Police Superintendent of Police of CID Munshi Atiqur Rahman investigated the case and submitted first charge sheet against ten people. After submission of the charge sheet, complainant Advocate Abdul Majid Khan filed a ‘Na Raji’ petition in Sylhet Speedy Trial Court on May 3 of 2006. On May 14, he appealed to the High Court when the court rejected his appeal. In view of the appeal, a bench of the High Court issued a rule against the government on 'why not further investigation'. The government filed leave to appeal on May 18 against this rule. The Appellate Division dismisses the government's appeal.
After this, the caretaker government led by Fakhruddin Ahmed took over the investigation. Assistant Superintendent of Police CID Rafiqul Islam was given the responsibility. After a lengthy investigation, on June 20 of 2011, 14 more accused were included after investigation and submitted charge sheet of the much discussed case. After six and half years of Kibria murder, Lutfuzzaman Babar, Mufti Hannan and 24 others were charged with further investigation.
After several dramas, the then CID's ASP Meherun Nesha filed 3rd -supplementary charge sheet against 35 persons, including 11 new in the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Rokeya Akhtar of Hobiganj on November 13 of 2014 , after 9 and half long investigation.
The new accused are - Sylhet City Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury, former Mayor of Habiganj municipality GK Gaus, former political adviser to BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, Haris Chowdhury, Mufti Abdul Hai, Mufti Taj Mohd, Md. Kajal Ahmed, Hafez Yahya. At the same time it was appealed in the charge sheet to exclude the names of Yusuf bin Sharif, the former charge sheeter, Abu Bakr Abdul Karim and the late Ahsan Ullah.
Then in June of 2015 the case was transferred to the Sylhet Speedy Trial Tribunal. From then the trial has began. Testifying of witnesses is going on.
In the 15 years, the worst murders have not been tried. The family expressed disappointment over the matter. The same wailing is continuing in the families of wounded people as well. The present Awami League government is doing politics over the assassination of Shah AMS Kibria as alleged by Kibria’s family. A fake charge sheet has been submitted in the name of a proper investigation. They demanded that the charge sheet be dismissed and re-investigated and provide a correct charge sheet. Not only the family of Shah AMS Kibria, but the families of the deceased Siddiq Ali and Abdur Rahim are booked in the hope of getting justice.
Siddiq's wife, Churata Banu, said: “It's been 15 years since the hearing of the trial. But we are not getting justice. If I can't see my husband's judgment while alive, shall I get justice after my death?
"My father died in a grenade attack when I was a kid," said Liza Akhter, daughter of the deceased Abdur Rahim. But so far we have not received any justice. After the death of his father, the Awami League leaders did not come to see us.
In this regard, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Gono Forum, Reza Kibria son of Shah AMS Kibria, “The Awami League government is doing politics by killing my father. We have not received justice for the murder of our father even in the last 15 years. My mother died while waiting for trial. '
He said: "The charge sheet submitted in the court over the murder was fake. We do not accept that. Cancel this charge sheet and re-investigate and provide the correct charge sheet. Otherwise, a fair trial cannot be expected. '
Advocate Abdul Majid Khan, the complainant and MP of Hobiganj-2 said, "The trial is being delayed mainly due to legal complications. Government wants the trial is completed quickly. '
He said, ‘However, I am hopeful that the case will be completed soon after crossing all legal hurdles.’