Former Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayor Atiqul Islam has alleged that he is being taken on remand in a series of “frivolous cases” filed against him for political reasons.
He made the allegation on Monday while standing in the dock during a hearing at the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbub Alam. Atiq conveyed his statement to his lawyer, Morshed Hossain Shahin.
On the same day, the court ordered that Atiqul Islam be shown arrested in the murder case of businessman Tajul Islam, who was killed during the July Movement in the Uttara West police area.
Earlier, on 19 October, the investigation officer, Inspector Nazrul Islam of Uttara West Police Station, had appealed to show him arrested in the case. The court fixed Monday for the hearing in Atiq’s presence.
Defence lawyer Shahin told reporters that his client declared in court, “I am being falsely implicated in one case after another for political motives. I am repeatedly taken on remand and subjected to cruel treatment in custody. The government is running the judicial process in darkness.”
He added that Atiq had no involvement in any criminal act and that a fair investigation would prove his innocence. “He was a businessman, and that is why former prime minister Sheikh Hasina nominated him for the mayoral post,” the lawyer added.
According to the case statement, businessman Tajul Islam had joined the protests near Uttara Crescent Hospital on 18 July last year during the July Movement. He was shot dead around 4:45pm that day. His son, Redwan Hossain, filed the case with Uttara West Police Station on 12 July this year.
It may be recalled that former mayor Atiqul Islam was first arrested on 27 October last year from the DOHS area in Mohakhali. Since then, he has been shown arrested in several other cases and has been placed on remand multiple times.
