DHAKA: State Minister for Law Advocate Qamrul Islam said top brass of the then BNP-Jamaat alliance government involved in August 21 grenade attack would be brought to book for further investigation.

“The investigation into the case is on. Names of all the bigwigs of the then government will come out through investigations,” he told banglanews24.com.bd at his Secretariat office Thursday.

Asked who might be involved into the attack, the State Minister did not agree to make further comment.

But he said the charge-sheet of the case did not mention the source of the incident. “Further investigation is taking place and the masterminds would be revealed once the investigation is done.”  

The investigations will also reveal why the probe at that time was diverted to other directions, why evidences from the crime scene were distorted, why the law enforcing police during the incident lobbed tear shell canisters dispersing the Awami League workers and who had helped the attackers flee, Qamrul said.
 
“Such an attack cannot take place without the knowledge and direction of the then top authorities...we hope to find out those who had been the masterminds,” he commented.

Asked if the authenticity of the investigation would be maintained, the state minister said the BNP-Jamaat alliance government diverted the investigation to different directions by interfering into it. “But we don’t want to do it.”

He referred to the investigations into Maymensing bomb blast, Udichi bomb blast and Ramna bomb blast and said: “We wouldn’t influence the investigation. The investigators would find out the perpetrators and unearth the truth through fair investigation”, said Qamrul.

“But, whoever from the BNP-Jamaat are involved, they will not be spared,” he commented.

Opposition leader khaleda Zia’s son Tareq Rahman, former State minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Babor and top officials of police were accused of their involvement into the August 21 grenade attack.

Asked if the investigators found out their involvement, Qamrul refrained from making any comment. “Since the matter is under investigation, I would not make any comment,” he said.

BDST: 1450 HRS, AUG 19, 2010