8 Jamaat leaders put on remand in anti-terrorism case
Leaders and activists demanded immediate release of the eight in a protest in the capital’s Mirpur on Saturday
A Dhaka court on Saturday granted a five-day remand to Jamaat-e-Islami's Dhaka Metropolitan North Ameer Muhammad Selim Uddin, who was arrested from a secret meeting along with seven others in Bashundhara Residential area of the capital on Friday, reports BSS.
Seven other accused in the case-- Jamaat-e Islami Mahanagar Majlish member Abul Bashar, former General Secretary of Cumilla District Chhatra Shibir Mohammad Yusuf and Jamaat-e-Islami activists Anwarul Haque, Shabbir Ahmed, Engr Mohammad Sirajul Islam and Abdul Hakim Sarkar-- were granted two-day remand each.
As they were produced before the court in the morning, the Investigating Officer (IO) of the case, DB Police Inspector Sameer Chandra Sutradhar applied for a 10-day remand of Selim and different period remands for the rest.
However, the lawyers of the accused pleaded the court to cancel the remand and grant them bail.
After the hearing, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Sheikh Sadi scrapped their bail plea and granted them remand for different terms.
Earlier on Friday, Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and activists gathered in a "secret meeting" inside a building in the city's Bashundhara Residential Area.
According to the case, they gathered at the confidential meet with the aim to spread terror activities among the public, overthrowing the government by conspiracy, sabotaging government buildings and vehicles and creating menace.
A case was filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Bhatara Police Station in the capital on Friday night.
On Saturday, Jamaat leaders and activists staged a demonstration in the capital's Mirpur to protest against the arrests of the eight leaders.
They started a protest rally from Mirpur-10 intersection and marched to Kazipara Metro Rail Station, demanding immediate release of the leaders and withdrawal of remands.
At the rally, Jamaat's central Majlish-e-Sura member and Dhaka Metropolitan North Assistant Secretary Md Mahfuzur Rahman said that Jamaat's Dhaka North Ameer Muhammad Salim Uddin has been arrested as a part of the government crackdown to come into power illegally by holding an election of farce and hypocrisy again.
"The government is destroying the country's democracy and democratic values as part of its conspiracy to prolong its illegal power," he added.
Jamaat's central MajIlish-e-Sura member and Dhaka Metropolitan North Secretary Dr Fakhruddin Manik, Dhaka Metropolitan North members Ziaul Hasan, Jamal Uddin and Ataur Rahman, among others, were present.