By Mizan Rahman
DHAKA: At least two persons were killed and over a dozen others injured in near simultaneous serial bomb blasts inside court premises in three districts of Chandpur, Chittagong and Laxmipur yesterday.
Of the two, one was killed in Chandpur while the other in Chittagong.
One person was killed and five others, mostly lawyers, were wounded when two powerful bombs exploded at Chandpur District Judge’s court building at about noon yesterday.
Police said Hashem Bakaul (60), a witness in a case, died on the spot while advocate Kazi Mozamel Hossain was seriously injured. Mozammel was taken to Sadar hospital. Two other lawyers, Fazlul Sarkar and Kamal Ahmed, were given first aid.
Lawyers present at the court compound detained two young suspects from the spot. They were identified as Belal Hossain (20) of Rahimanagar village of Kachua sub-district and Abdus Salam (19) of Comilla. Police were interrogating the detainees.
Police cordoned off the court compound. The bombs exploded inside the ‘ejlash’ (court room) of Joint District Judge Dipen Dewan who was hearing a case at the time of blast. Victim Hashem Bakaul was a witness in the case.
Chandpur was one of the 63 districts hit by serial bombings on August 17 sparking nationwide security alert. On that day, six bombs exploded at the Chandpur District Judge’s court.
In Chittagong, a bomb exploded at District Court building yesterday leaving one old unidentified man dead, another injured and forcing suspension of the proceedings of all courts in the port city.
Abdul Wadud, an advocate’s clerk, suffered wounds in the blast that occurred at about 11.55am at the court of Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Akram Hossain. Two unexploded bombs were recovered from the scene.
Chittagong Police Commissioner Majedul Huq said one bomb exploded and three people were arrested from the spot. Of them two were identified as Laltu of Thakurgaon and Dulal Mia of Patia.
After the blast, proceedings of all the 49 courts in the court building were suspended. Police reinforcement was sent to the scene.
In Laxmipur district town, seven people, including a police constable, were injured when two bombs exploded at the District Judge Court building yesterday morning.
Police said one bomb exploded inside the courtroom of Joint District Judge Abu Sufian while another went off at the nearby terrace of the district court building at about 11.45am.
Police said judge Abu Sufian escaped with minor injuries in the blast, which caused panic in the area.
Of the injured, three including the police constable were admitted to Sadar hospital.
Police arrested a man from the court premises when he tried to flee the scene soon after the incident.
Meanwhile, the government of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia sounded alarm in the wake of yesterday’s fresh serial bombings.
A security bulwark was put up around the capital tightening the security system at all entry points to the metropolis, police administration said.
“We have alerted our men to take all necessary action against any attempt of criminal actions,” Mizanur Rahman, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner, told newsmen as news of orchestrated bomb explosions in Chittagong, Chandpur and Laxmipur travelled fast into the capital.
Supreme Court and lower courts, bus, rail and launch stations, shopping complexes, commercial buildings, banks, foreign missions as well as all key-point installations and sensitive places in Dhaka have been placed under special surveillance by the law-enforcers.
The DMP boss said people should remain alert about any suspicious person or object and help the law-enforcing agencies by dialing 999 in uprooting any subversives.
Azad Zahirul Islam, Chief Security Officer of Zia International Airport, said the airport security system was tightened at the instruction of the authorities.
The authorities tightened security on the Supreme Court premises with police reinforcements following the bomb explosions.
There were, however, no reports of any untoward incident at the country’s highest court.
Security has also been tightened in all District and Metropolitan Courts, besides other important places.
Monday’s blasts struck when the orchestrated terrorist incident of August 17 serial bombings across the country is fresh in people’s memory.
State Minister for Home Affairs Luthfuzzaman Babor in the meanwhile said several suspects were caught red-handed from all the three sites of bomb blasts in Chandpur, Laxmipur and Chittagong.
“I’ve heard about the blasts at three places, but no details about it,” he told reporters after presiding over a meeting at the Home Ministry on deployment of 35 mobile courts in the city on the eve of Ramadan.
In reply to a question, Babor said police were already kept in full alert and for that it has been possible to nab some suspects with the help of people.
Although no particular party or group claimed any responsibility for the bomb blasts in courts premises, intelligence agencies suspected that followers of Mufti Abdul Hannan, a top military commander of banned Islamist outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad, might be behind the blasts as a sequel to his arrest. He is now being grilled by the army-led Joint Interrogation Cell.
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