DHAKA: A few officials of the DGFI in 2006 made arrangement for a safe exit of Maulana Tajuddin who had supplied grenades to Mufti Hannan for August 21, 2004 grenade attack on Sheikh Hasina’s rally, a prosecution witness told the court Tuesday.

The officials arranged a fake passport for him and made all the way so that Tajuddin could leave Bangladesh to land in Pakistan, said the witness.

Major (dismissed) Syed Monirul Islam who had been working for DGFI at that time mentioned the names of Lt Col Saiful Islam Joarder and Brigadier General Amin in making the arrangement for safe passage for one of the masterminds of the August 21 grenade attack leaving 24 killed and many injured.

He informed that Col Joarder had given a Karachi-bound plane’s ticket and boarding pass to him and Lt. Commander Mizan so that Maulana Tajuddin can leave Bangladesh.

Major Monir and Commander Mizan then in cooperation with the DGFI officials posted at the airport made ways for Tajuddin to board the aircraft.

“We had to make the arrangements at the directives of the higher authorities,” Major Monir told the tribunal as PW-84 in the case.

He informed that he joined the CTIB (counter terrorism intelligence bureau) of DGFI in June 2005 after discharging duties in Chittagong. His assignment in the CTIB was gathering intelligences to combat terrorism and extremism.

Major Monir made deposition on the basis of the information he gathered from the TFI cell interrogation of militant leaders.

As Mufti Hannan in the interrogation admitted that Maulana Tajuddin, brother of the then Deputy Minister Abdus Salam Pintu, supplied the grenades, Tajuddin was brought to the DGFI office and Brigadier General Amin and Lt. Col Saiful Islam Jaorder interrogated him at the DGFI safe home, said the prosecution witness.

Tajuddin in follow-up interrogation admitted that Harkatul Jihad carried out the August 21 grenade attack as well as other grenade attacks in the country, Major Monir told the court.

Following the interrogation, the PW said, Amin and Joarder had been discussing that they have directive from the higher level to send Tajuddin abroad.

“Two days after, Lt. Col Saiful Islam Joarder brought a passport for Tajuddin against the name of Badal and gave a ticket for Karachi,” he said.

Major Monir made a lengthy deposition at the Dhaka Speedy Tribulnal Court-1, set up beside Dhaka Central Jail at Nazimuddin Road in old Dhaka. His statement continued for about two-and-half-an-hour from 12 in the noon.

The case has 582 witnesses while the number of accused is 52.

Among the accused, BNP’s senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman, Khaleda Zia’s former political secretary Haris Chowdhury and former MP Kazi Kaikobad are absconding.

Twenty five arrested and present on the dock during the hearing included former ministers Ali Ahsan Mohammad Muzahid, Lutfozzaman Babar and Abdus Salam Pintu and Harkatul Jihad leader Mufti Hannan.

Those who are on bail are Khaleda Zia’s nephew Lt Commander (retd) Saiful Islam Duke, former IGPs Ashraful Huda, Shahidul Haque and Khoda Box Chowdhury, former investigation officers of CID Ruhul Amin, Munshi Atiqur Rahman and Abdur Rashid and former ward commissioner Ariful Islam. 

BDST: 1825 HRS, MAY 20, 2014