News4u-News Desk-A former minister of Khaleda Zia’s BNP government has claimed that the ex-premier’s elder son was involved in the deadly grenade attack on an opposition rally led by Sheikh Hasina in 2004 which killed 24 people, the media in Dhaka reported on Thursday.

Former junior minister for home Lutfuzzaman Babar claimed that Zia’s now expatriate son Tarique Rahman had harshly asked him not to take actions following the attack that had killed 24 people and injured over 300 others, the Samakal newspaper quoted investigators as saying.

Another newspaper the Prothom Alo carried a report on the investigation saying Babar also told the investigators that the Islamist militants who were believed to be used in carrying out the attack had links with some ministers of the past BNP-led four-party alliance government.

Babar is being quizzed in Criminal Investigation Department custody for the third time under a court order as police last month said they suspected him as the mastermind of the attack as a fresh probe was underway into the assault.

Earlier media reports and officials said the evidence suggested that several influential BNP leaders were involved in the plot while banned Harkatul Jihad (HuJI)-led by now detained Mufty Abdul Hannan was used to carry out the assassination plan mainly to kill Zia’s archrival incumbent Prime Minister Hasina.

Hasina narrowly escaped the attack which left her with critical hearing impairment that required her treatment aboard later.

Earlier, officials said they suspected Babar’s involvement in line with Hannan’s confessional statement in custody while the Alo report on Thursday said the ex-home minister told the investigators that HuJI chief was a “notorious type of person”.

“I should have ordered his death in crossfire, if I had the idea that he would expose me to this danger,” one of the Babar’s interrogation officials quoted him as saying.

Babar, who was already serving a 17-year jail term in a different weapon related criminal case, was brought to police remand from jail to be quizzed in the grenade attack case after the apex court overturned a High Court order barring him to be remanded in police custody.