Former State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak has expressed anger over being handcuffed with his hands behind his back and being made to climb the stairs to the courtroom despite the lift being operational when he was brought to court in a murder case.
Addressing the public prosecutor in court, Palak said, “The PP should understand that his place is not very far from my place.”
He made the remarks on Thursday before Judge Md Robiul Alam of Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-4. He was produced before the court in connection with the killing of truck driver Md Hossain in Mohammadpur during the July mass uprising.
Palak told the court, “I was brought up the stairs with my hands handcuffed behind my back. I request the court to make arrangements for the handcuffs to be placed in front.”
He also told the court that since they were being made to walk up to the sixth floor, their handcuffs should be placed in front on humanitarian grounds.
Palak’s lawyer, Farzana Yasmin Rakhi, said her client was made to climb the stairs when he was brought to court despite the lift being operational.
She also said, “We saw that one of the two lifts was operational, yet they were made to walk down. The handcuffs on their hands are rusty, and the bulletproof jackets are very dirty, which could make them ill. These issues should be taken into consideration.”
According to court sources, eight accused who are in jail were produced before the court. Of the 34 accused in the case, 10 are in jail custody, while the remaining have been absconding since the beginning.
According to the case documents, Md Hossain, a truck driver, was shot dead in Chand Udyan area of Mohammadpur on 19 July 2024, during the anti-discrimination student movement. He left his truck in Gabtoli and was returning home that day. He was shot at Chand Udyan and died at the scene.
The deceased’s mother, Reena Begum, filed the murder case with Mohammadpur Police Station on 31 August 2024.
On 23 November 2025, Mohammadpur Police Station Sub-inspector Akramuzzaman, the investigation officer in the case, submitted a charge sheet to the court against 34 people, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The other accused are Awami League General Secretary and former Road Transport and Bridges minister Obaidul Quader; former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal; former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud; former minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak; former state minister Junayed Ahmed Palak; former MP Sadek Khan; banned organisation Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain and General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan; Asif Ahmed; Tareq-uz-Zaman Rajib; Sheikh Bazlur Rahman; Nur Mohammad Sentu; Tofail Siddiq alias Tuhin; Rahman Mia alias AKM Wahidur Rahman; Palash; Oliur Rahman; Khalilur Rahman; Imon; SM Riaz-ul-Haq Tamim; Masudur Rahman Biplob; Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan alias MA Sattar; Parvez alias Golden Parvez; Sumon Mia alias Kailla Sumon; Milon Hossain; Sohel alias Bhuiya Sohel alias Bunia Sohel; Salim Ullah Solu; Irfan; Muhammad Badiul Alam alias Badiuzzaman; Furkan Hossain; Shahjahan Khan; Sazzad Hossain; Faruk Hossain Abhi; and Naimul Hasan Russell.
