Tarique deserves death penalty as mastermind behind attack: Anisul

Law Minister Anisul Huq on Wednesday said BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman should have been awarded death penalty as he is the mastermind of August 21 grenade attack incident, report agencies.

"We're happy with the verdicts, but the mastermind of the incident was Tarique Rahman...he should've been awarded death sentence," he said.

The minister came up with the remarks while talking to reporters at the Secretariat after the pronouncement of verdicts in the two cases.

He, however, said the government will decide whether it will file any petition with the High Court seeking death sentence for Tarique Rahman, Harris Chowdhury and Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad once the full text of the verdict is available.

Meanwhile, expressing satisfaction over the verdict of August 21, 2004 grenade attack case, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said fugitive convicts would be brought back soon.

He said, "I am satisfied with the verdict as the court has given punishment to perpetrators of the attack," he told newsmen at his secretariat office soon after the pronouncement of the verdict.

The government would bring back fugitive convicts to execute the verdict of the court, the minister said.

Khan said with the verdict of the August 21 grenade attack case, the government removed stigma from the nation.

The Awami League government also removed stigma from the nation with the verdict of August 15, 1975, case as anti-liberation forces killed Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with most of his family members.