Bangladesh Court Orders Six-Day Remand for Former Lawmaker in Anti-Terrorism Case
Court Decision on Former Awami League Lawmaker
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Dhaka, September 23: A court in Bangladesh has ordered a six-day remand for Mahfuzur Rahman Mita, a former member of the Awami League, in connection with an Anti-Terrorism case filed at the Tejgaon Industrial Area Police Station in Dhaka, as reported by local news outlets.
The order was issued by Dhaka's Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Joshita Islam, after the investigation officer requested a 10-day custody for Mita and his driver, Selim, according to Prosecution Sub-Inspector Arif Reza.
Mita was apprehended on Tuesday at a residence located in the Gulshan-2 area of Dhaka, as confirmed by Deputy Commissioner AFM Anwar Hossain Khan from the Detective Branch (DB) of Gulshan Division.
Selim, his driver, was also arrested during the same operation.
Inspector Md Masudur Rahman, part of the Tejgaon Zonal Team, presented both suspects in court and requested a 10-day remand for each, as reported by the Dhaka Tribune.
The case originated from a procession that took place on June 18 near the Mohakhali Bus Terminal in Dhaka, where approximately 35 to 40 leaders and members of the Awami League and its student wing, Chhatra League, were present.
The FIR claims that the participants shouted anti-government slogans and detonated cocktails, causing panic among the public. Consequently, police initiated the case under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
This arrest is part of a broader crackdown on Awami League leaders and activists that began during the previous interim government led by Muhammad Yunus and has continued under the current Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration.
Last month, police detained 53 leaders and activists from the Awami League and its affiliated groups, according to local media reports.
A press release from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) indicated that these individuals were arrested from a building in the Bashundhara residential area of Dhaka.
The DMP noted that the Awami League members had convened to organize a preparatory meeting and a flash march in observance of the mourning day on August 15.
Following the arrests, the Awami League condemned the actions, asserting that such moves indicate a diminishing space for democratic rights and the freedom to commemorate religious or national events in the country.