Fakhrul, Khasru denied bail; can be interrogated at jail gate, court says
A Dhaka court today rejected bail petitions of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and its standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury in a case filed with Paltan Police Station over assaulting law enforcers in the capital on October 28.
Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury also turned down remand appeals for the two BNP leaders and allowed police to interrogate them at the jail gate for two days.
Before that, Fakhrul and Amir Khasru were shown arrested in the case as Paltan Police Station Sub-inspector Sumit Kumar Saha, also investigation officer (IO) of the case, placed an application in this regard today. The application was filed on Saturday.
In the remand appeal, the IO said leaders and activists of BNP leaders and its front organisations, as per direction from Fakhrul and Amir Khasru, attacked the police and assaulted them on October 28.
So, they need to be remanded to find vital clues about the incident and to know whereabouts of other fugitives responsible for committing such offences, said the IO.
Opposing the remand appeal, defence lawyer Mohsin Miah told the court that Fakhrul is elderly and has been suffering from different ailments, including heart disease, while Amir Khasru has been suffering from different ailments.
Moreover, the charges brought against them are false, and fabricated. They were implicated in the case just for political harassment, the lawyer added.
After hearing both the sides, the magistrate ordered police to send the two leaders to jail.
Earlier in the day, Fakhrul and Amir were brought to the court from jail and kept inside the lockup of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka around 1:00pm, said sub-inspector Shahidul Islam, in-charge of the lockup of the CMM court.
Yesterday, sub-inspector Sumit Kumar Saha of Paltan Police Station and also investigation officer of the case, submitted an application before the court to show Fakhrul and Khasru arrested in the case.
According to the case statement, leaders and activists of BNP and its front organisations, as per direction from Fakhrul and Khasru, gathered in front of Paltan Model Police Station during a political programme around 3:00pm on October 28.
They then blasted crude bombs, attacked the police station, assaulted police personnel and prevented them from discharging their duties.
Following the incident, police filed a case against Fakhrul, Amir Khasru and 102 others with Paltan Police Station.
On October 29, Fakhrul was arrested in connection with the case filed with Ramna Police Station over the attack on the residence of the chief justice during a clash between BNP men and law enforcers on October 28.
On November 3, detectives detained Amir Khasru from Gulshan. Later in the day, he was placed on a six-day remand in connection with a case filed over the death of a constable in a clash during the party's grand rally on October 28. He was later sent to jail.