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2001 Bagerhat Bombing

ONGOING2001Khalilur Rahman Degree College, Mollahat Upazila, Bagerhat District, Bangladesh3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On 23 September 2001, a bomb attack occurred at Khalilur Rahman Degree College in Mollahat Upazila, Bagerhat District, Bangladesh. The attack took place during an Awami League election rally led by Member of Parliament Sheikh Helal Uddin, a cousin of then-Awami League leader and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Two bombs were thrown at the gathering, killing nine people and injuring more than 100 others.

The attack occurred in a period when Bangladesh's caretaker government was making preparations for the 2001 general elections. According to the available account, a number of Awami League events were bombed during this period by suspected Islamist militants.

A criminal case was filed following the attack. Its proceedings were stopped on 19 April 2004, during the rule of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The case was later reopened by the Home Ministry after the Awami League returned to power. Following an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department, charges were pressed against six individuals on 21 August 2011.

The six individuals charged were identified as Mufti Hannan, described as the chief of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh; Badsha Mia Shikdar, described as the former president of the Mollahat branch of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party; and four individuals described as Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh activists — Arifuzzaman, Zillur Rahman, Hafez Mohammad Rakib Hasan, and Abu Taleb.

Key facts

Victims
On file
Date
2001
Location
Khalilur Rahman Degree College, Mollahat Upazila, Bagerhat District, Bangladesh
Case status
ongoing

Case timeline

  1. 2001-09-23

    Two bombs thrown at an Awami League election rally at Khalilur Rahman Degree College, Mollahat Upazila, Bagerhat District, killing nine people and injuring more than 100.

  2. 2004-04-19

    Proceedings in the filed case were stopped during Bangladesh Nationalist Party rule.

  3. 2011-08-21

    Charges pressed against six individuals following a Criminal Investigation Department probe after the case was reopened.

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People

  • Arifuzzaman

    CHARGED

    Charged on 21 August 2011; described as a Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh activist.

  • Abu Taleb

    CHARGED

    Charged on 21 August 2011; described as a Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh activist.

  • Badsha Mia Shikdar

    CHARGED

    Charged on 21 August 2011; described as former president of the Mollahat branch of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

  • Mufti Hannan

    CHARGED

    Charged on 21 August 2011; described as chief of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh.

  • Zillur Rahman

    CHARGED

    Charged on 21 August 2011; described as a Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh activist.

  • Hafez Mohammad Rakib Hasan

    CHARGED

    Charged on 21 August 2011; described as a Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh activist.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Khalilur Rahman Degree College, Mollahat Upazila, Bagerhat District, Bangladesh

22.9254, 89.8035

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
A bomb attack on 23 September 2001 at an Awami League election rally in Mollahat, Bagerhat District, Bangladesh, killed nine people and injured more than 100.
Where did the bombing happen?
Khalilur Rahman Degree College, Mollahat Upazila, Bagerhat District, Bangladesh.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: ongoing.
More cases in Bangladesh

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDIC2001 Bagerhat bombingWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — thedailystar.netthedailystar.net · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 11, 2026