The High Court (HC) has overturned the verdict of a lower court in two cases filed over the August 21 grenade attack, acquitting all convicts, including BNP's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar. An HC bench comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the judgement on Sunday. The court also declared the charge sheet in the case illegal. Earlier, the court concluded hearings on the death reference and appeals of the accused on November 21, keeping the cases awaiting judgment (CAV). Subsequently, the two cases were listed for verdict today (Sunday). The grenade attack, a shocking incident, occurred on Dhaka's Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004. On October 10, 2018, a Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal issued a verdict in one of the cases (pertaining to murder and explosives). The tribunal sentenced 19 accused, including former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar and former deputy education minister Abdus Salam Pintu, to death. Read: Silence marks 20th anniversary of Aug 21 grenade attack Besides, 19 others, including BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, were handed life imprisonment sentences, while 11 accused received various terms of imprisonment and fines. The judgment was subsequently transferred to the HC in 2018, registered as a death reference case.  

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has said democracy encompasses more than just elections as it involves ensuring the protection of individuals' freedoms and fundamental rights. In a message on the occasion of Shaheed Jihad Day, commemorating the 34th anniversary of Nazir Uddin Ahmed Jihad's martyrdom, he also emphasised the importance of conducting free, fair and credible elections to uphold the democratic process. Tarique said a non-partisan, neutral government during the polls is an essential condition for ensuring a free and fair election. “Democracy means more than just elections; it means guaranteeing people's freedoms and fundamental rights,” he said. Tarique urged all to come forward, inspired by the supreme sacrifice of martyr Jihad, to resist the plots of domestic and foreign evil forces aimed at protecting the country's independence and sovereignty and restoring democracy. Jihad, a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) activist of Ullapara Upazila in Sirajganj, was shot dead in Dhaka on October 10, 1990, during the anti-Ershad movement. Read: Interim govt must win BNP's unshakeable trust: Tarique Rahman “Shaheed Nazir Uddin Ahmed Jihad is an unforgettable name in the anti-autocratic movement against Ershad in the 90s. The bloody movement was for the restoration of multi-party democracy, freedom of expression and the press,” Tarique said. He said martyr Jihad courageously took bullets of police on his chest while playing a leading role in the anti-dictatorship mass movement. “This fearless student leader embraced martyrdom, and his sacrifice fueled the people's uprising that year, leading to the fall of the autocrat Ershad,” the BNP leader said. He said dictator Ershad killed democracy, while Jihad dedicated his life with the conviction to restore democracy and put it on a firm footing.  “His (Jihad’s) soul will suffer if we cannot fulfill his dream,” Tarique observed. BNP and its associate bodies observed ‘Shaheed Jihad Day’ with various programmes. JCD central leaders placed a wreath at Jihad memorial plaque at Dainik Bangla crossing in the morning in observance of the day. A group of student leaders of the 90s, led by Amanullah Aman, and Jihad Smriti Parishad also paid homage to the Jihad by placing wreaths at his Memorial Mausoleum. Read more: Interim govt must not be allowed to fail: Tarique Rahman Jihad Smriti Parishad organised a discussion meeting at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, to mark the day.