Former Food Minister Qamrul Islam was reportedly denied permission to drink water or eat chocolate while standing in the dock during a court hearing on Wednesday, despite feeling unwell.
He was shown arrested in a case filed with Shahbagh Police Station in Dhaka over the attempted murder of Al Amin Islam Shoeb alias Sohel during the July mass movement.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana granted the police petition to show him arrested.
Police brought Qamrul Islam, who served as a minister during the Awami League government, from the court lock-up to the courtroom for the hearing earlier in the day.
As he appeared exhausted and gasping for breath, his lawyer Aftab Mahmud Chowdhury sought the court’s permission to offer him water and chocolate.
However, the court denied the request. Expressing frustration, Aftab told TIMES of Bangladesh, “Qamrul Islam is a cancer patient and seriously ill. He was brought from prison to the court lock-up in the morning, and by the time he was produced before the court, he had become extremely weak.”
“Even if permission for chocolate was not granted, he should at least have been allowed to drink water on humanitarian grounds,” he added.
According to the case statement, during the July–August uprising, on 4 August, students and activists were demonstrating near the Banglamotor foot-over bridge intersection when the accused allegedly attacked the procession with sticks, sharp weapons, and firearms, also throwing bricks and stones.
One of the bullets fired by the accused struck Al Amin Shoeb alias Sohel in his left leg and exited through the other side. The victim later filed the case with Shahbagh Police Station on 26 September last year, naming Qamrul as one of the accused in the First Information Report.
