Court rejects police remand for Fakhrul, Khosru

FE Team | Published: December 18, 2023 23:12:30

A Dhaka court has rejected a petition by Paltan police to interrogate Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Amir Khosru in police custody in a sabotage case over the violence surrounding the party's Dhaka rally on Oct 28, reports UNB.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury instead gave law enforcers permission to question BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury in jail on Monday.
The remand petition was filed with the court by the investigating officer in the case, Deputy Inspector Sumit Kumar Saha.
It claimed that Mirza Fakhrul and Amir Khosru conspired to stir an illegal riot that attacked law enforcers, detonated improvised explosives, caused serious injury, damaged property and led to public panic.
"The suspects noted are central BNP leaders," the petition said. "On the day of the incident, they openly directed leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliate organisations to create an atmosphere of sabotage and anarchy. Following this, the suspects named in the case and other fugitive suspects attacked police in front of Paltan Model Police Station with improvised weapons and seriously injured police personnel by detonating improvised explosives."
The police then requested 10 days to interrogate Mirza Fakhrul and Amir Khosru in their custody to unravel the case and capture the fugitive suspects.
Mirza Fakhrul has been in jail in a case filed over an attack on the residence of the chief justice. The High Court issued a rule asking why the BNP leader should not be granted bail. The decision on the bail was scheduled for Sunday but was deferred to Jan 3.
On Oct 28, the BNP called a rally in Dhaka to press home its demand for the institution of a neutral caretaker government ahead of the upcoming national elections.
But the BNP's programme took a tumultuous turn as deadly clashes between party loyalists and the police erupted in Kakrail. The opposition group subsequently suspended their rally and called a nationwide shutdown to protest the police crackdown.
Several vehicles were vandalised and torched during the clashes, while mobs also attacked journalists. A police constable was beaten to death at the Dainik Bangla intersection during the clashes.
The home of the chief justice was also vandalised during the clashes.
Mirza Fakhrul called for a nationwide shutdown in the wake of the violence. Detective police subsequently arrested him from his home in Gulshan on the morning of the hartal on Oct 29.
The following day, he was refused bail and sent to jail. The case filed at the Ramna Police Station revolves around the violence surrounding the BNP rally.
Amir Khosru was arrested from his Gulshan home at 1 am on Nov 3 by the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police over the murder case of police constable Amirul Islam Parvez.
He was brought before a court, and DB Inspector Md Tarikul Islam petitioned the court to interrogate him in their custody for 10 days. The court granted the DB six days of remand. Amir Khosru has been in jail since.