A Dhaka court today placed two retired army officers on a four-day remand in a sedition case over alleged anti-state activities and a conspiracy to destabilise the country.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Didarul Alam passed the order after the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police produced Lt (retd) Kazi Gulshan Ara and Lt Col (retd) Debashish Kumar Barua before the court, seeking a seven-day remand, Additional Public Prosecutor Muhammad Shamsud Doha Sumon said.
Earlier in the day, police filed the case with Pallabi Police Station under Section 124A of the Penal Code, Sections 10, 11, 12 and 18(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, and Section 25 of the Cyber Security Ordinance. The case also named 101 unnamed people as accused.
Police officials said Gulshan Ara, 43, was arrested during a drive in Pallabi, while Debashish, 47, was arrested from Banani DOHS early today.
According to a forwarding report submitted to the court, the accused and their associates had allegedly been collecting funds for anti-government activities and creating and disseminating violent and provocative content on social media platforms.
The report alleged that through “Unity Care” and “Public Parliament” platforms formed by a group of retired army officers, the accused maintained contact with former army chief General (retd) Aziz Ahmed, a former home minister and fugitive senior leaders of the Awami League. The accused allegedly conspired to rehabilitate the Awami League, whose activities are currently banned, and commit organised crimes against the state, says the report.
The accused had also allegedly sought to destabilise the country by publishing content inciting violence and unrest through a page named “KalAjKal.com”. Gulshan Ara had used her Facebook account to disseminate content and conduct activities against the state, DB Inspector Sheikh Bashir Ahmed said in the report.
The investigator alleged that the accused were involved in terrorist activities and had provided illegal funding to facilitate the activities of a banned organisation.
The report also stated that, on November 27, 2018, ahead of the national election, Gulshan Ara went to Ganabhaban with more than 150 retired army officers and publicly expressed solidarity with and allegiance to Sheikh Hasina.
It further alleged that the two accused, along with 101 others, had formed an organisation named “Bangabandhu Sena Parishad”, in which both held active positions.
According to the report, the organisation’s primary activities included spreading hatred among different social groups and communities to incite riots and clashes.
The report added that the accused had spread hatred and contempt towards the government through social media and appearances on various talk shows, engaging in activities amounting to sedition.
Since August 5, 2024, the two accused and their associates had allegedly conspired against the government and conducted defamatory propaganda. The investigator also claimed that evidence had been found linking them to domestic and foreign spies.
Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/crime-justice/news/two-retired-army-officers-remanded-over-alleged-plot-destabilise-bangladesh-4297051
