Court denies bail to Fakhrul, Khasru

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury wave hands as police take them to a Dhaka metropolitan magistrate court in a sabotage case on Monday. — Sony Ramany

A Dhaka court on Monday refused bail to Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury.

The court of metropolitan magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury, however, rejected the investigation officer’s prayer to interrogate two senior leaders in the police custody for 10 days each in connection with the second cases by the police with the Paltan police over clashes between the law enforcers and party activists during its October 28 grand rally.

The magistrate asked the Dhaka Central Jail authorities to allow the investigator of the case to interrogate Fakhrul and Khasu for two days each at the jail gate.

The magistrate passed the orders after hearing separate prayers—one filed  by Fakhrul and Khasru seeking bail –another one was filed by the police seeking remand in custody for interrogation for 10 days.

The police produced Fakhrul and Khasru before the magistrate from the Dhaka Central Jail, Keraniganj to show them arrested in the new case as the High Court is scheduled for January 3 to hear Fakhrul’s bail prayer in the first case relating to the alleged attack on the residence of the chief justice on October 28.

 

 

Earlier on Monday morning, the High Court bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Atabullah directed the chief metropolitan magistrate of Dhaka to hear and dispose Fakhrul’s bail prayers in 10 other cases against him over clashes during the party grand rally.

Fakhrul had not been shown arrested in the 10 other cases although he was made accused, to linger his detention, his lawyer Zaynal Abedin Mesbah told New Age.

The 76-year-old BNP leader filed the petition with the High Court on December 10, seeking bail after Dhaka metropolitan sessions judge Faisal Atiq Bin Quader passed an order on November 22, denying his bail.

Fakhrul has been in jail since October 29, while Khasru has been in the same jail since January 3 in the same case filed by the police against him and 71 other top BNP leaders for alleged attack on the chief justice’s official residence in Dhaka during the party’s October 28 grand rally.

New Age