SATKHIRA, April 18, 2023 (BSS) - A special court here today convicted and sentenced four people, including former BNP lawmaker Habibul Islam Habib, to life imprisonment and 44 others to seven-year jail each in two cases filed over the 2002 attack on the motorcade of the then opposition leader and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the district.

Satkhira Special Tribunal-3 Judge Biswanath Mondal pronounced the judgment in the two cases filed under arms and explosive substances acts. A total of 38 convicts were in court during the pronouncement of the judgment.

The three other convicts, who have been sentenced to life imprisonment, are- former Juba Dal leaders Abdul Quader Bachchu and Arifur Rahman Ranju, and former Chhatra Dal leader Ripon.

Earlier on February 4, 2021, Satkhira Chief Judicial Magistrate Court had convicted and sentenced three people including Habibul Islam Habib to 10-year imprisonment, three others to nine-year imprisonment and 44 others to different jail terms in another case filed over the attack.

The miscreants on August 30, 2002 hurled bombs on the convoy of the then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina and even shot at her, as her motorcade reached in front of Kolaroa upazila BNP office in Satkhira. The attackers had beaten then district Awami League president engineer Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Awami League leader Jahidul Haque Russel, Jubo Mohila League leader Fatema Zaman Sathi and activist Abdul Matin and a couple of others very badly.

Journalists who were going with the motorcade took refuge in local police station. Attackers brought them out from there and beat them too.

They also vandalized a couple of vehicles of the convoy.