A Dhaka court on Tuesday granted a one-day remand for interrogation of East West University student Amzad Hossain Bukhari, who was arrested for putting up posters in support of the banned organization Hizb-ut Tahrir in front of Motijheel City Centre.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sefatullah passed the order, after the investigating officer of the Counter Terrorism Investigation Unit, Sub-Inspector Saiful Islam, had sought a three-day remand in the case filed at Paltan Model Police Station. Prosecution official SI Md Rukunuzzaman confirmed the remand.
According to the remand application, Bukhari was arrested on September 23 and produced before the court, which initially ordered him to jail. While in custody, he was also named in a terrorism case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Paltan Model Police Station. The investigating officer said that important information could be obtained if Bukhari was interrogated on police remand, prompting the request for a three-day remand.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Bukhari was produced before the court. His lawyer, Advocate Ila Naznin, sought cancellation of the remand and applied for bail, arguing that her client was not present at the scene and had no knowledge of the incident. She said Bukhari is a university student with upcoming exams and requested that, if questioning was necessary, it be conducted at the jail gate. After hearing both sides, the court granted a one-day remand.
According to the case statement, on March 7 at around 2pm, between 2,000 and 2,200 unidentified people held a procession from the north gate of Baitul Mukarram Mosque to Paltan Mor under the banners of March for Khilafat, Hizb-ut Tahrir, and Ulaiyah Bangladesh. Police attempted to stop the march, but demonstrators reportedly ignored them, chanting slogans against the government and allegedly attempting to undermine the country’s sovereignty while carrying flags, banners, and sticks.
Police said the accused threw bricks and stones at them during the incident. Following this, Paltan Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Russell Mia filed a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act on March 8.
