Dhaka: A petition was filed with a court in Dhaka to record the depositions of 20 more witnesses in connection with the August 21 grenade attack cases.

Public prosecutor Syed Rezaur Rahman filed the petition with the court of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 judge Sahed Nuruddin on Tuesday (Feb 2) to probe the case for the sake of justice, said special public prosecutor Abu Abdullah Bhuiyan.

The court fixed February 8 for hearing on the petition.

Of the 491 witnesses in both the cases, the trial court recorded the statements of 207 till February 2 since the beginning of the trial in 2008, said a UNB report.

At least 24 people, including then women affairs secretary of Awami League Ivy Rahman, were killed and over 200 injured in the grisly grenade attack at a public meeting at Bangabandhu Avenue on Aug 21, 2004. AL chief, now Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, narrowly escaped death during the attack.

On June 11, 2008, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted a chargesheet against 22 people, including Pintu and Mufti Hannan, in the case.

The court on August 21, 2010 ordered further investigation into the grenade attack following a petition filed by the state.

After reinvestigation, the CID submitted two supplementary chargesheets in the murder and explosive substance cases implicating 30 other people, including BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman, BNP chairperson’s former political secretary Harris Chowdhury, Babar and Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojaheed.