A Dhaka court on Sunday afternoon placed retired major Khandaker Abdul Hafiz on a four-day police remand in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act over allegations of provocative social media propaganda, funding a banned organisation, and anti-state conspiracy.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rakibul Hasan passed the order following a hearing on a seven-day remand prayer submitted by the investigation officer, Police Inspector Sheikh Bashir Ahmed of the DB Cyber and Special Crime (South) Division.
During the hearing, state prosecutor Harun Or Rashid argued in favour of the remand. He informed the court that Hafiz was arrested based on crucial information obtained during the interrogation of two FIR-named accused, former army officers Lt (retd) Kazi Gulshan Ara and Lt Col (retd) Debashish.
The state prosecutor further alleged that the accused had established online platforms named “Unity Care” and “Public Parliament” to maintain contact with former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the former home minister, and top Awami League leaders. He added that Hafiz engaged in attempts to destroy state sovereignty by communicating with local and foreign spies and intelligence agencies to destabilise the country.
On the other hand, defence lawyer Mohammad Imam Hossain Javed filed a petition seeking bail and the cancellation of the remand order. After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge ordered four days of police custody.
According to the remand application, Hafiz, along with his associates Lt (retd) Kazi Gulshan Ara, Lt Col (retd) Debashish, and others, collected funds through anti-government WhatsApp groups. He is also accused of creating and disseminating digital content inciting violence across various social media platforms.
The application noted that using “Unity Care” and “Public Parliament”- platforms formed by several retired army officers- he maintained communication with former army chief general (retd) Aziz Ahmed, the former home minister, and absconding top leaders of the Awami League. The investigation officer said that these activities were aimed at rehabilitating the banned organisation and planning anti-state violent acts.
The remand prayer highlighted that provocative posts inciting violence were published from a Facebook account named “Khandaker A Hafiz” as well as various pages. The allegations also include campaigning in favour of killing police officers, spreading slanderous information against the government and state following the events of 5 August, and communicating with foreign intelligence agents.
Highlighting the necessity of custodial interrogation, the investigation officer stated that intensive questioning is required to identify and locate other associates involved in the case, collect information regarding alleged local and foreign spies, and recover crime-related digital evidence.
Remand is also needed to identify secret pages and websites, verify data from seized devices, and unearth the core mystery behind the incident.
Earlier, DB police arrested Hafiz from the capital’s Banani area late on Saturday night.
According to the case statement filed with Pallabi Police Station, Hafiz was involved in illegal financing through anti-government online groups, spreading provocative propaganda on social media, and attempting to rehabilitate the banned Awami League, alongside participating in anti-state activities with the assistance of local and foreign intelligence agents and promoting police killings.
