Hasina arrested, sent to sub-jail

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Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina is being produced before the CMM court in the city Monday. — FE Photo

Former Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina was arrested from her Sudha Sadan residence at Dhanmondi in the city Monday morning before being produced in a law-court on the day when she pleaded innocence, reports UNB.
Arrested in a corruption case, she told the court that she was not involved in any kind of extortion but the government got angry with her as she sought people's voting right.
She was arrested in an extortion case involving Tk 29.6 million (2.96 crore) filed by Azam J Chowdhury, managing director of East Coast Trading Ltd., with Gulshan Thana earlier in June. East Coast Trading is a local agent of Technopromexport, a Russian company that installed a 210 MW power plant at Siddhirganj.
After more than two hours of hearing on her bail petition, Magistrate Mosammat Qamrunnahar of the CMM Court gave order to send Sheikh Hasina to jail hajat. At about 10:15am, she was detained at the newly built Speaker's House, declared a sub-jail, in the parliament building complex.
Court sources said some 50 lawyers, led by Barrister Amirul Islam and Adv Sahara Khatun, stood for Sheikh Hasina for bail. The court rejected the bail petition and sent her to jail hajat.
As Hasina was being taken from the CMM court to the jail hajat, Awami League supporters chanted slogans like "Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu" and "Don't be afraid, we're with you."
There were some demonstrations on the Dhaka University campus and at Sutrapur in old Dhaka in protest against the arrest.
Earlier, at about 4:15 am, more than 500 members of police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) cordoned off Hasina's "Sudha Sadan" residence. And then after more than three hours, she was picked up by the law enforcers at about 7:34 am and drove in a black jeep straight to the magistrate's court. Hasina, wearing white saree with a headscarf and a tajbih (prayer bead) in hand, was brought to the court of Magistrate Mosammat Qamrunnahar at about 7:45 am amidst tight security.
She looked resolute and flashed a smile and waved her hand to journalists and press photographers who thronged the CMM court premises.
When produced, Sheikh Hasina told the court that she was not involved in any kind of extortion but the government got angry with her as she sought to uphold people's voting right.
"I am not an offender, I am not an extortionist. My family and political ideology did not teach me to commit extortion but to serve people's cause," she said before a metropolitan magistrate's court, which rejected her bail petition and ordered her into jail custody. Two charges were pressed against her as the cause of arrest-one is related to extortion of money from a power company during her rule and another on murder in connection with the death of several people amid a political turmoil at Paltan at the end of the last BNP-Jamaat government's rule.
Terming the cases of extortion and murder "false" and "fabricated",
Hasina claimed that she was arrested although there was no charge-sheet and warrant of arrest. "If I were a thief, corrupt and murderer, I would not have returned home from abroad," said Hasina in self-defence, as a big panel of counsels also stood for her in the crowded court.
The AL president mentioned that the previous BNP-Jamaat regime also had tried to implicate her in corruption by filing the Mig-29 and Frigate cases, but failed.
Referring to the military takeover in 1975 and the High Court judgment that declared the takeover as illegal, the AL president said, "To satisfy political ambition of individuals, similar tactics are being adopted to the sufferings of the people."
In her nearly 30-minute submissions, the former ruler of the country said destiny of the people would not change without free and fair elections. And if there is going to be a fair election, Awami League will get 80 per cent vote, she predicted.
"They are playing ducks and drakes with people's franchise…My fault is I sought to uphold people's voting right," Hasina told the court of Magistrate Qamrunnahar.
According to bdnews24.com, a string of small protests erupted in parts of Old Dhaka Monday after the arrest of Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, police and witnesses said.
Protesters chanted slogans before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Dhaka in the city's old part when security officials tried to take Hasina away from the court.
The first protest was reported at the court premises when the party supporters stopped the convoy carrying Hasina to a special jail.
A group of protesters in Tantibazar area demonstrated and threw stones at security forces, who fired teargas canisters and rubber bullets.
At least 10 people were injured in the clashes as a trail of protests spread in the area between Laxmibazar and Tantibazar.
Three of the injured people were taken to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.
Police also detained some protesters but the exact number of detainees could not be known immediately.
Khandakar Muhituddin, deputy commissioner of police of Lalbagh Zone, said they had to use force to disperse the protesters.
Earlier, baffled supporters from the city's old part started converging at the court premises after Hasina had been taken to the CMM Court.
Party activists from other nearby parts also streamed into the court but police prevented them from entering the court premises.
Security was also tightened as people and onlookers were increasing in numbers by the minute.
Many of the supporters chanted, "Joy Bangla" and "Joy Bangabandhu".
At 7:45am a convoy driving Hasina reached the court. Police stopped a group of lawyers trying to enter the court area, sparking heated arguments.
Former law minister Abdul Matin Khasru arrived at the scene but was barred from entering the court premises.
"Why don't you open the points towards the court? Remember, nothing can bar people's entry to the court of law," Khasru shouted at the security officials.
Advocate Sahara Khatun, an AL leader, then joined the protesting lawyers and the security forces at one point were compelled to open the gate and let them in.
Many supporters begged permission of the officials to see their leader.
Sabina Aktar Tuhin, a Jubo Mahila League leader, grabbed a police officer's feet and begged permission to go inside.
Again, many tried to tear through the tight security net.
At around 10:15am when Hasina was being taken to the jail with the court refusing her bail, supporters tried to put barricade on her way.
RAB, police and other security personnel fought the surrounding crowd to ease their way out.
The security convoy sped through towards Tantibazaar, when AL activists at Roy Sahib's Bazaar barricaded the road and tried to stop the motorcade.
The officials used batons to clear their way.
The convoy reached the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban area at 10:33am to leave the former prime minister at the makeshift jail.
She was charged with murder on April 11 last when she was in the United States.
On April 22, a Dhaka court issued an order to arrest Hasina in a murder case filed by a Jamaat-e-Islami leader.
The murder case involves the deaths of four protesters belonging to BNP ally Jamaat-e-Islami in an October 28 political riot in Dhaka.
On April 9, Tajul Islam Faruk from Habiganj filed a Tk 30 million extortion case against her.
On June 13, businessman Noor Ali filed a Tk 50 million case with Tejgaon Police Station and Azam J Chowdhury, managing director of Eastcoast Trading Limited, filed another case of Tk 29.5 million against Hasina and AL leader Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim with Gulshan Police Station.