The masterminds behind assassination attempt on Awami League (AL) chief Sheikh Hasina on August 21, 2004 remain undetected even after charges have been pressed in two cases filed in this connection.
The government investigators believe although 22 people are charge-sheeted, the key planners of the grisly grenade attack are still untraced.
"The gravity of the attack indicates it was not possible to be carried out without backing of any influential group or some most powerful people. But we don't see any such findings," says an investigator who was assigned soon after the attack and discharged the duty for quite a long time.
Referring to charge-sheeted accused BNP leader and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu and Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji) top leader Mufti Abdul Hannan, another former investigator says though it's convincing that Huji was involved, they could not trace those who were behind Pintu and Hannan to carry out such a well-planned attack.
"It's not possible to reveal the mysteries of an unreachable place. I've submitted my investigation report on the area within my reach. If I could go further, more mysteries of the attack might have been revealed," current investigation officer (IO) of the cases CID Assistant Superintendent Fazlul Kabir told The Daily Star.
Kabir finds Hannan as the main accused of the cases based on his and seven other Huji men's confessional statements.
Intriguingly, a former investigator who quizzed the Huji leader said Hannan revealed that at least one BNP-Jamaat-led alliance government's lawmaker had financed the attack.
"But following submission of charge sheets I saw the lawmaker's name was not among the 22 accused. I think if we could go after that lawmaker at that time, we could advance much to trace those who were behind him," the investigator added.
He also said he could not go after the lawmaker as he was not involved with the investigation anymore.
Former CID ASP Munshi Atiqur Rahman, who was IO of the cases before Kabir, said he got hints from Hannan about Huji's involvement but couldn't go till the end as he went on retirement.
He said he tried for long to arrest Hannan in the aftermath of several bomb and grenades attacks but was not successful as the BNP-Jamaat-led government was "reluctant".
"They were soft to Mufti Hannan," Atiq said, adding, even a number of former ministers and lawmakers recommended relieving Hannan of different cases.
Before getting the hints from Hannan, the investigators had no clue regarding Huji members' involvement.
Rather, Abdur Rashid who was IO before Munshi Atiq had concentrated on a different criminal group based on confessional statement by one Joj Miah. However, Rashid said he could not trace any mastermind during his investigation.
"I was at primary stage of the investigation. To find out the masterminds and link them with the attack was a huge task, but I was not in a position to accomplish the task," he told The Daily Star yesterday.
From his experience, he however, said, "It was an extensively pre-planned attack and a huge amount of money was involved. It's not like that if anyone wants grenades, the bombs will automatically be available," he said.
Rashid obtained confessional statements from Joj Miah and two others -- Abul Hashem alias Rana and Shafiqul Islam -- which completely contradict with that by Mufti Hannan and seven other Huji leaders and activists.
Authenticity of the identical confessional statements of Joj Miah and two others during the BNP-Jamaat rule raised questions and controversy as those stories were weakly woven.
Following huge controversy and media flak the government had to hold back submission of the charge sheets based on Joj Miah's story.
Allegations were rife that the government was trying its best to divert the investigation to save the main culprits of the gruesome attack on Hasina's rally on Bangabandhu Avenue that left 24 AL leaders and workers killed and scores others injured, many of them maimed forever.
Less than a month into the attack, the then ruling BNP lawmakers in parliament in presence of the erstwhile prime minister Khaleda Zia blamed AL for perpetrating the grisly attack on its own rally.
More interestingly, the one-member judicial probe committee of Justice Joynul Abedin pinned the blame on an "enemy" country, but the investigators have so far found nothing to substantiate the findings.
That perception of diverting the investigation to save the culprits got intensified when the investigators at least pointed their finger to a BNP leader and former deputy minister and the Huji.
A number of investigators say after they became sure of Pintu's involvement, they were trying to find out whether there were links between the attack and any people of "Hawa Bhaban" or other bigwigs as Pintu had connection with the then alternative powerhouse.
However, the charge sheets submitted in June do not contain anything regarding that matter.
But Rashid claims his investigation was not influenced by any government high-ups and he still believes Joj Miah's statement is "correct".
"The attack was launched following a massive plan where Joj Miah was involved in a small part. I believe many others were involved like Joj Miah in different parts of the plan. If someone holds anyone of them, they will not get the entire picture, rather a small part. Joj Miah here represents a small part," Rashid argues.
However, like the present IO of the cases, Munshi Atiq also believes Joj Miah's statement is not accurate.
Interestingly, when the investigation was proceeding based on Joj Miah's statements, all intelligence agencies gave positive nod to advance.
On the other hand, when the incumbent IO sensed Huji's involvement, the same intelligence agencies again gave a green light to go ahead.
Inspector General of Police Nur Mohammad yesterday said police will not file any case against the investigators who made concocted story involving Joj Miah.
"We'll however assist the family members of Joj Miah and others who were implicated in the cases falsely if they come forward to file case against those investigators," the IGP told The Daily Star.
Apart from Joj Miah, 19 others including a ward-level AL leader were arrested after the grenade attack and tortured severely. Finally, a Dhaka court ordered their release as the charges brought against them by the erstwhile investigators were baseless.
One of the then investigators admitted severe torture of the arrestees, saying they did it to find at least some clues and ways to make a headway.
Besides local investigation, the government allowed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Interpol to probe the attack, but people are still in dark about their findings.
The Interpol report with details of the attack was attached to the charge sheets and was also submitted to the government, say CID officials. They add the FBI, which had taken some pieces of evidence for test and returned later, did not submit any report.
Relics haunt constitution
