Ex-railway minister denied bail in Panchagarh murder case

Former Railway Minister and former MP of Panchagarh-2 Nurul Islam Sujan was sent to jail after a Panchagarh court denied his bail in a case relating to the abduction and murder of e-rickshaw driver Al Amin. 

Panchagarh Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, presided over by Senior Judicial Magistrate Ashrafuzzaman, issued the ruling on Sunday.
 
The hearing commenced at 10:00 AM with lawyers representing both sides presenting their arguments. Public Prosecutor (PP) Adam Sufi and Government Prosecutor (GP) Mirza Nazmul Islam Kajol led the case on behalf of the prosecution. 

On the defense side, senior lawyers including former PP Advocate Aminul Islam and Advocate Mirza Sarwar Hossain argued in favor of Sujan.

The prosecution alleged that Al Amin, who was actively involved in the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, was abducted and killed on the instructions of the former minister. The defense countered, arguing that the victim's body had not been recovered and, therefore, the charges under Section 302 of the Penal Code (murder) could not be substantiated. 

Despite their plea for bail, the court denied the request and sent Sujan to jail. However, the court granted him privileges under jail division rules.

The case was filed on November 10 by Al Amin's father, Monu Mia, at Panchagarh Sadar Police Station. The former minister was named as the prime accused, along with 18 others, with an additional 150 unidentified persons also accused. The case claims that Al Amin was abducted, beaten, and subsequently disappeared, allegedly on the orders of Sujan.

Later, Sujan was transferred to Panchagarh from Dhaka's Kashimpur Jail on Saturday night under tight security. On Sunday, heightened security measures, including police, Detective Branch (DB), and military personnel, were in place at the court premises.