A Dhaka court on Sunday rejected the bail petition of a teenager detained in connection with the death of construction worker Mehedi Hasan, who was killed after being run over by a car in Baridhara last month.
Judge Md Abdul Moktadir of the Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-8 passed the order after hearing both sides.
Public prosecutor Mohammad Sharif Uddin Mamun confirmed the matter, saying the prosecution opposed the bail petition filed on behalf of the teenager.
Defence lawyer Golam Mostafa Khan said that his client was not responsible for the incident. He claimed the actual driver had managed to flee through the left side of the vehicle.
The defence also told the court that compensation had been paid to the victim’s family and sought the teenager’s release on bail.
The judge asked how long the teenager had been in custody. The lawyer replied that he had been in custody for 12 days and said that “he is a child and is entitled to bail.”
The prosecution opposed the petition, saying the teenager had no driving licence or permission to drive the vehicle. Granting him bail would send a wrong message to society, it argued.
During the hearing, the judge said CCTV footage showed the teenager leaving the scene. The court also observed that granting bail could encourage reckless driving and similar offences.
The court had earlier, on 24 September, ordered the teenager to be sent to a child development centre. His lawyers sought bail the same day, and the court scheduled the hearing for 25 September. After a partial hearing, the court fixed Sunday for further arguments.
The accident occurred on 23 September on Road No 1 in the Baridhara Diplomatic Zone. A speeding private car reportedly mounted the pavement and ran over Mehedi, 24, who was sitting there, killing him on the spot.
Mehedi was from Sonaroy village in Domar upazila of Nilphamari.
His brother Moktadir Islam filed a case with Gulshan Police Station. The teenager was not named in the case. Akash Mark, 44, was named as the driver, but he has not been arrested.
Locals who allegedly saw the teenager behind the wheel detained him and handed him over to police. However, after questioning him, police released him into his family’s custody.
Following media reports and criticism on social media, police reviewed CCTV footage and found evidence of the teenager’s involvement, according to police.
He was later taken into police custody and sent to a child development centre on a court order.
