Manna:I have good relations with some BNP leaders, especially Khoka. Through him, I just wanted to get near BNP chief Khaleda Zia and was planning to visit her office
Nagorik Oikya Jote Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna was striving to get close to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia through Sadeque Hossain Khoka, detectives say quoting Manna who is being interrogated in remand.
Manna often mentioned during the interrogation that using Viber had appeared as his worst enemy. After his conversation with BNP Vice-Chairman Khoka had been leaked in the media, he destroyed all his mobile phones and started living in a relative’s house, but could not evade arrest.
“I have good relations with some BNP leaders, especially Khoka. Through him, I just wanted to get near BNP chief Khaleda Zia and was planning to visit her office,” Manna was quoted as saying by a DB officer, who asked not to be named.
“I wanted to establish my political
career. Therefore, I spoke to the BNP leaders as well as a few others from the ruling Awami League on political issues,” Manna told detectives on the fifth day of interrogation yesterday.
Manna has been on a 10-day remand in a case filed with Gulshan police for his alleged involvement in inciting the army to take over power. Police filed the case following the leak of his conversation with another person so far known only as Mamun.
The DB police has not made any official statement on the interrogation so far.
The detectives also asked Manna about the murder of blogger and science writer Avijit Roy on Dhaka University campus on February 26. The source said Manna broke down and said he never believed in violent politics. “I have been engaged in qualitative politics.”
Manna was asked about Avijit’s killing as in his conversation with Khoka he had advised on capturing one hall or two of Dhaka University even if it involved “one or two falling during the fighting.”
Avijit, who is also a US citizen, was killed within a few days of the leak of the Viber conversation, the DB official said.
Mohammad Nasim, spokesperson of the ruling 14-party alliance, had earlier hinted that the murder might have a link to the conversation.
When contacted, Mahfuzul Islam, additional deputy commissioner of DB police, said they had nothing to disclose about the outcome of the interrogation at the moment. “We need to analyse the information first,” he added.
Earlier, Manna was also questioned about his links with former army officials and government officials. He gave the detectives a name, Mamun, a person believed to be living in Australia who he had talked to through Viber. That conversation was also leaked in media.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
