A cocktail explosion jolted the premises adjacent to the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka on Monday morning mere hours before the scheduled hearing on a high-profile crimes against humanity case implicating ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
The detonation occurred on the paved road near the tribunal gate, which is close to the Shishu Academy.
Confirming the incident, Shahbagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge Khalid Mansur said, "An explosion occurred on the paved road in front of the tribunal early Monday morning. One cocktail exploded, while another was found unexploded. Legal matters are under process in today's explosion incident."
This is the second such explosion at the same location in recent weeks. A similar incident occurred on June 1, the day of a prior hearing in the same case. On that occasion, what police described as a 'cocktail-like firecracker' detonated in front of the tribunal gate.
OC confirmed that a general diary (GD) had been filed in connection with the earlier blast adding, "No one has been arrested in that incident yet. However, efforts are underway to arrest those involved."
Monday's explosion coincided with the noon hearing of a politically sensitive case relating to the July mass uprising, which erupted in response to the controversial ousting of Sheikh Hasina's government. The accused in the case include Sheikh Hasina herself along with Asaduzzaman Khan and Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, all of whom held top executive and security positions during the period in question.
While law enforcement authorities have refrained from drawing a direct link between the explosion and the ongoing tribunal proceedings, the timing of both blasts raised questions about the security landscape surrounding cases involving the former regime's highest officeholders.
