A Dhaka court is scheduled to start hearing the closing arguments tomorrow in a case lodged over brutal grenade attack at the rally of the then opposition leader, Awami League president and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in capital's Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004, reports BSS.  

"Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 is set to hear the arguments on October 23, 24 and 25, to complete the trial over one of the most brutal and heinous attacks on political leaders and activists," Syed Rezaur Rahman, chief prosecutor in the sensational case, told BSS.  

A total of 225 prosecution witnesses testified in the case, while 20 witnesses were produced by the defence.

The attack was carried out on an anti-terrorism rally of Awami League, aimed at killing the front ranking leaders including its President Sheikh Hasina to eliminate the party leaderships.

A total of 24 AL leaders and workers including the then Mohila Awami League President and wife of late President Zillur Rahman, Ivy Rahman, were killed and 500 others were injured in the attack. Sheikh Hasina and the front ranking leaders escaped the carnage narrowly.

According to the case documents, then sub-inspector Faruk Hossain of Motijheel Police Station filed the case on August 22, 2004.

CID senior ASP Fazlul Kabir on June 11, 2008, filed the charge sheet against 22 people including chief of Bangladesh chapter of banned militant outfit Harkat-ul Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) Mufti Abdul Hannan.

Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 on August 3, 2009, ordered further investigation, accepting a plea of the prosecution. New investigation officer and superintendant of police of CID Abdul Kahar Akand on July 3, 2011, filed two separate charge sheets, one for murder and another under explosive substances act, against total 52, including BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman.