Former deputy speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku, ex-state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak and Dhaka University Chhatra League General Secretary Tanbir Hasan Shaikat were placed on a ten-day remand each by a Dhaka court on Thursday in a case filed over the murder of rickshaw-puller Kamal Mia on July 19.
Metropolitan Magistrate Md Rashidul Alam passed the order after Sub Inspector Md Yusuf of Paltan Police Station, also Investigation Officer (IO) of the case, produced them before the court with a prayer to grant a 10-day remand for each for questioning. Tuku, Palak, and Saikat went into hiding in the Nikunja residential area of Dhaka after former Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India August 5.
The IO said in his remand prayer that the involvement of the accused with the incident was primarily proved. Moreover, as per their directives, the other accused committed such offences. So, they need to be remanded to find out the clues about the whereabouts of others responsible for committing such offences.
The defence lawyers sought bail along with cancellation of the remand prayer.
Police arrested the three accused from the capital's Nikunja residential area in Khilkhet on Wednesday night.
Following the incident, the victim's wife, Fatema Khatun, filed a case with Paltan Police Station against unidentified assailants of the murder in this regard.
According to the case statement, Kamal, 39, was waiting for passengers near the VIP Road intersection in Paltan at around 7:30pm on July 19. A little later, Fatema came to know from a neighbour that her husband was lying on the road, bleeding.
Fatema and her daughter went there and took Kamal to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, but the doctors declared him dead at around 7:55pm, reads the case statement.
Fatema again went to the scene and learned from locals that quota reforms protesters had gathered at VIP Road intersection on July 19.
At one stage, criminals opened fire at police personnel and the cops also fired shots in the air. As the two sides chased and counter-chased each other, my husband was hit.
Criminals then left the scene firing shots. My husband fell on the road after being hit by bullets, Fatema said in the complaint.
This follows the arrest of former Law Minister Anisul Haque and Salman F Rahman, former Private Industry and Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister on Tuesday evening.
They were arrested while attempting to flee via river from Dhaka's Sadarghat area and have been charged in relation to the death of a hawker during a clash on 16 July in front of Dhaka College.
The arrests come in the wake of widespread anti-discrimination protests led by students and citizens, and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on 5 August.
After Hasina fled, many Awami League leaders, former MPs, former ministers and senior government offers went into hiding and many of them attempted to to leave the country.
On August 6, Palak was detained by the army at Shahjalal International Airport while trying to flee the country.
