Jamaat ex-MP Shahjahan remanded for 'sabotage plan'

A court in Chittagong yesterday remanded eight leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami including its former lawmaker Shahjahan Chowdhury on charge of planning destructive activities.

Metropolitan Magistrate Safi Uddin passed the order after they were produced before the court with a five-day remand prayer, said Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) (prosecution) Nirmalendu Bikash Chawakrabarty of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP).

“The court granted a two-day remand for Shahjahan and his associate Abu Taher each and a three-day remand for the other six after a remand hearing,” he said.

Earlier, detectives of CMP arrested the eight at a house in Chittagong city's Khulshi area while they were holding a “clandestine” meeting on August 3.

After the arrest, the detectives said the arrestees gathered at the place to plot a sabotage plan taking advantage of the ongoing student movement for road safety. Later, police filed a case against them with Khulshi Police Station under the Special Powers Act.

According to police, Shahjahan stands accused in 20 cases filed with different police stations in the district and city.

He was elected a member of parliament (MP) from Lohagara constituency twice and was the former nayeb-e-ameer of Chittagong Jamaat-e-Islami.