A Dhaka court on Wednesday placed 15 people, including leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations, on three-day remand in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act over an alleged crude bomb explosion during a procession in Gulshan.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana passed the order after hearing a seven-day remand plea filed by police.
State prosecutor Shamsuddoha Sumon confirmed the matter.
The case was filed over an alleged crude bomb explosion during a procession in front of a KFC restaurant on Gulshan-1 Road on 11 September. Police claimed to have recovered five unexploded cocktails from the scene.
According to the case documents, 118 people have been named as accused, including leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations and members of the banned Chhatra League. Another 80 to 100 unidentified people were also accused in the case.
The 15 people remanded are Chhatra League activist Nirab Khan, 22; Thakurgaon town Awami League member Mohammad Saiful Islam, 52; Patuakhali Sadar upazila Jubo League member Mohammad Jewel Shikdar, 33; Bhatara thana Jubo League member Mohammad Sahed, 39; Dhaka North City Corporation Ward 17 Jubo League activist Shanto Sheikh, 28; DNCC Ward 20 Awami League member Mohammad Harun Maizbhandari, 55; former Lakshmipur district Jubo League convener Khaled Mahmud Faisal, 40; Dhaka North City Ward 13 Awami League religious affairs secretary Mohammad Shafiqul Rahman, 50; Chandpur district Awami League member Mohammad Billal Ghazi, 35; former Tarail upazila Chhatra League president Mohammad Ismail Siraji, 32; Cantonment thana Chhatra League activist Mohammad Arifur Rahman Dipu, 27; Bangladesh Awami Matsyajibi League president Mohammad Idrisul Alam, 55; Badda thana Sramik League general secretary Mohammad Zainal Abedin Mamun, 50; Jatiya Sramik League Ward 3 member of Bhatara thana Joyanta Kumar Baroi, 43; and Awami League cultural affairs subcommittee member Mohammad Mozammel Haque, 75.
Gulshan Police Station Sub-Inspector Mohammad Ruhul Amin, the investigating officer, had sought seven days’ remand for each of the 15 accused in an application filed with the court on 17 September
In the application, police said the suspects needed to be interrogated to uncover the circumstances of the incident, identify the alleged masterminds and financiers, arrest other accused who remained at large, and determine whether anyone else had instigated or encouraged the incident.
Police also told the court that 24 accused had previously been taken into 10-day remand in the same case. Investigators claimed that information obtained from those suspects during interrogation had subsequently led to the arrest of more accused.
According to the latest remand plea, interrogating the 15 newly arrested suspects could help investigators establish the whereabouts of other absconding accused, determine their alleged roles in planning and carrying out the incident, and trace the source of funds allegedly used in the operation.
After hearing the prosecution’s plea, the court granted three days’ remand for each of the 15 accused instead of the seven days sought by police.
