Atia Mahal blast: Judgment of the case today

The verdict of the anti-terror law case in connection with the anti-terrorist operation in Atia Mohal of Shibbari area of South Surma of Sylhet will be announced today on Wednesday. Sylhet Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal Judge Muhammad Nurul Amin Biplab is scheduled to announce this verdict in the court.

On March 14, Judge Nurul Amin Biplab fixed the date of the judgment after presenting arguments in the court.

Muminur Rahman, Special Government Counsel of Sylhet's Anti-Terrorism Court, told reporters that the time for the clearing testimony ended on February 27. Later on March 14, after presenting arguments, the judge fixed the date of verdict. Out of 33 witnesses in the case, 21 witnesses testified.

The three JMB members accused in the case are Zahurul Haque alias Jasim (29) of Baishari of Naikxyongchari police station of Bandarban district, Md. Hasan (28) and Jahrul Haque alias Jasim's wife Arjina alias Razia Sultana (21) are currently in jail.

According to the source of the case, the anti-terrorist operation started in Atiya Mahal from the night of March 23, 2017. RAB, police, special crime response team (CRT) of police, army commando team participated in the operation. At the end of 'Operation Twilight' conducted by the army, the bodies of four people, including a woman, were recovered from inside the building.

Before the completion of the operation, a bomb blast took place some distance from Atiya Mahal during the operation. The then head of RAB's intelligence department, Lt. Col. Abul Kalam Azad, seven people including two policemen were killed.

Three cases were registered after the anti-militancy operation in Atiya Mahal. The police initially investigated the case, but later the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) took charge of the investigation. On September 7, 2019, the PBI submitted the charge sheet of the case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act in the court. Three persons were accused in the charge sheet. Later that year, Zahurul and his wife Arjina and Chandina of Comilla were killed in a separate anti-terrorist operation in Chittagong's Sitakunda. Hasan was arrested. Later in January 2019, they were arrested in the Atiya Mahal case.

On the other hand, PBI submitted the final report to the court on July 14, 2019 in two cases related to bomb blast and murder. The report called for settlement of the case.

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