Former State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak has claimed that he was not involved in any killing that took place on August 5 last year.
According to him, from morning until 2:30 a.m. the next night, he and 11 others were hiding in a room inside the National Parliament building. At around 2:30 a.m., the army rescued all 12 of them, including Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury.
Palak made these remarks during a hearing at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s (CMM) Court in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Police presented Zunaid Ahmed Palak before the court at around 10:30 in the morning. He was in handcuffs.
According to police statements in court, a house painter named Abdul Jabbar was murdered in the Badda area on August 5. Palak is a named accused in that murder case. Police said it is essential to take him into remand for interrogation to uncover the motive behind the killing.
Raising his hand, Palak requested the court for permission to speak.
He told the court: It is being alleged that I was involved in the Badda murder case on August 5. However, at 11 a.m. that day, I was inside Parliament. At one point, the Parliament building came under attack. I, along with the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and 12 others, had to take refuge in a secured room within the building. At around 2:30 a.m., the army rescued us.
“As I was inside Parliament the entire day, I had no involvement in any murder that occurred on August 5. I have already been remanded for a total of 86 days. If further questioning is needed, I request the court to allow it to be conducted at the jail gate,” he added.
Opposing Palak’s statement, Public Prosecutor Faruk Faruki told the court, “We had heard that several people, including the Speaker, were hiding inside Parliament on August 5. Today, Palak has confirmed that incident. Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury has not been brought to justice yet.”
“Those who directly shot and killed anti-discrimination student protesters deserve one kind of punishment, and the same applies to those involved in plotting the murders. Zunaid Ahmed Palak was part of that conspiracy. During the student uprising, he was one of those who met with fascist Sheikh Hasina,” Faruki said.
After hearing both sides, the court granted police a three-day remand to interrogate Zunaid Ahmed Palak in connection with the case.