Ten people were killed and over 100 including the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh were injured in the attacks.

Although some officials at times claimed "success" in investigation, in fact no real progress has been made, it was gathered from different sources.

Meanwhile, questions are being raised by the quarters about the persons involved in the probe.

CID ASP Munshi Atiqur Rahman, now on contract appointment after retirement, is the investigation officer (IO) of all the five cases.

Munshi had gone on LPR (leave preparatory to retirement) in the first week of July, when he was investigating the January 12 and the May 21 incidents at the shrine of Hazrat Shaha Jalal.

The prove responsibility then went to ASP Nausher Ali of CID (Criminal Investigation Department) Sylhet Zone. But, within a week, Munshi managed a contract appointment for two years and again became the IO of the cases.

This had raised questions among police officials also. Contractual appointment at ASP level is rare, a number of officials told his correspondent seeking anonymity. Have those been sent to clod storage? Many pose the question now.

Why contract appointment of a man who could not even "achieve a little in months", they said.

Munshi Atique failed to get any clue to the January 12 blast that killed five people and injured 50 and the June 21 blast that killed three and injured about 70 people including British High Commissioner.

On August 5, twin blasts in cinema halls left a boy killed and seven men injured.

Just 47 hours after this, the Gulshan Centre blast left Awami League leader Ibrahim killed and 30 others injured.

The cases regarding the twin blast in cinema halls and the Gulshan Centre blast were transferred to CID and Munshi was made IO of the three cases.

However, talking to the The Daily Star, Additional IG (In charge) of CID Farrukh Ahmed Chowdhury claimed that it would be easy for one official to investigate the cases as those are of same nature.

Asked about the nature of blasts, Chowdhury said, evidences clearly show that powerful grenades exploded at the shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal and at the the Gulshan Centre. Evidences including 'levers' were found around the places of occurrence. "These are sophisticated and foreign-made", he added.

On other hand, two persons were caught immediately after the twin cinema hall blasts. They are believed to be the carriers, he said.

Asked about the progress in investigation, he said time is yet to come to make any comment.

Although CID is doing the investigations, four other agencies--DGFI, NSI, Rab and SB--are also involved under the supervision of senior officials, top police officials said.

However, 24 people are in jail now while at least 100 others were quizzed in connection with the incidents. Most of them are leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Juba league, opposition Awami League's student and youth front respectively.

Besides, SM Nunu Miah, an expatriate and AL leader had also been in jail hajat. Police also nabbed three activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, student front of Jamaat-e-Islami, five days ago as suspects.

BCL central leader Bidhan Chandra Shaha, its Sylhet city unit Joint Convener Ranjit Sarker and the three ICS activists were remanded and are being interrogated by a Joint Investigation Cell (JIC) in Dhaka.

The CID officials failed to extract any important clue from any of the people remanded and quizzed in Dhaka, sources claimed.

A probe body headed by the then Sylhet Police Superintendent Shahadat Hossain was formed after the January 12 shrine blast. The body got extension thrice and at last submitted a 40-page report to the authorities. But, it has not yet been made public. "The report is with us. Things in it are not that much important", a high police official said.

He however declined to elaborate.

Police had arrested 26 people after the January 12 blast but failed to get any clue.

After six weeks, the case was transferred to the CID and ASP Siddiqur Rahman was made the Investigation Officer. Later, it was handed over to ASP Munshi Atique of CID Dhaka Zone.

After the second blast at the shrine on May 21, police arrested 14 people including four BCL leaders. But no specific charge could be brought against any of them.

After then May 21 blast, several agencies brought serious allegation of lax security arrangements for the British High Commissioner's visit to the shrine. SP Shahadat Hossain was suspended and strand-released within 72 hours, followed by transfer of ASP Siddiqi Tanjilur Rahman.

The OC of Sylhet Kotwali thana and the IO of the case --SA Newazi--were also transferred to Sardah Police Academy after weeks.

The case was transferred to CID and ASP Munshi Atique was made the IO.

The IO along with a NSI official went to Singapore to interrogate expatriate Shamim at a hospital there. Shamim, who was on a short trip to Bangladesh, was injured in the May 21 blast and was sent to Singapore for treatment.