This is the first judgment of a case related with the August 17 series bomb blasts in Barisal.

The acquitted are: Ziaur Rahman Zia, director of Al Ikram Ikram Samaj Kalyan Sangstha, Golam Morshed Chowdhury Reza, Jalal Ahmed, Hafez Saiful Islam, Abu Yusuf Majumdar, Abu Solaiman Sujan, director -- officials and staff of the organisation, and their 'associates' Md Maruf, Jasimuddin and Zahid Babu.

Zia, Yusuf and Babu have been absconding since the trial began.

The six others, who are behind bars, were not released from jail as all of the nine are also accused in 11 other cases lodged in connection with the August 17 blasts.

Those cases are under trial in the First Additional District and Session Judge's Court in Barisal.

Family members of the acquitted demanded immediate release of the six in prison and judicial probe and punishment of the real culprits.

"The six accused are in the jail for about 16 months and nothing was revealed to prove their connection with the August 17 blasts, even after interrogation for 168 hours under remand at Barisal Kotwali Police Station and Joint Interrogation Cell in Dhaka," they said.

Sub-inspector Mashiur Rahman of Barisal Kotwali Police Station lodged a case against the aforesaid nine accused under sections 3 and 6 of Explosives Act for blasting bomb in front the house of Shahjahan Commissioner at Natun Bazar area of the city at 11:

15am on August 17, 2005, court sources said.

The law enforcement agencies interrogated the six arrestees for long 168 hours and after investigation by Sub-inspector MA Rob and Al Mamunul Islam, charge sheet was submitted against the nine accused on October 10, 2005.

The case was transferred to the Barisal Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal on June 11, 2006 and after examining 16 of the 18 witnesses, other evidences and arguments of both sides, MA Matin, judge of the tribunal, handed down the verdict yesterday noon in the presence of the six arrested accused.

Claiming the charge sheeted as 'innocent' and 'victim of the police harassment', their family members appealed for the interference of the president and human rights activists on humanitarian ground.

"As the police has no intention to nab the real culprits, they implicated the same people in 12 cases of series bomb blasts at 18 places of the city that took place at the same time. They are harassing innocent poor people like us," they said.

Al Ikram Samaj Kalyan Sangstha employee Abu Solaiman Sujan, who is a born-blind, was forced to give a confessional statement under tremendous physical and mental torture and the 'so-called' statement was the only basis of the charge sheet, they said, adding that the matter can be proved in free and fair judicial and medical investigations.