Court revokes DU deputy registrar’s bail 24 hours after granting it

A Dhaka court has revoked the bail granted to Dhaka University (DU) Deputy Registrar Muhammad Lovelu Mollah in a case involving an attack on former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s convoy.

The order was passed on Monday by the 17th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court of Dhaka, just 24 hours after the same court had granted him relief.

Bench Assistant Md Ashraful Amin confirmed the decision, saying that the defence failed to submit the bail bond within the stipulated timeframe.

"Though bail was granted on Sunday, the bond was not filed on time. When the defence eventually appeared with the bond after the deadline, the court cancelled the bail order," he said.

The court had previously approved Lovelu bail on Sunday against a bond of Tk 1,000.

Lovelu, a former president of the Surja Sen Hall unit of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, first came into the spotlight following a controversial social media post.

On Nov 17, 2024, he reportedly shared a photocard with the caption "I don't care" after a court sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death for crimes against humanity during the July Uprising.

The post sparked tensions on campus, leading a group of students and the university’s proctorial team to visit his residence at midnight.

Shahbagh Police subsequently took him into custody and later showed him arrested in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

On Apr 5, Lovelu was formally shown arrested as a suspect in the 2015 attack on Khaleda’s motorcade.

According to case documents, on Apr 22, 2015, the then BNP chairperson left her Gulshan residence to campaign for Tabith Awal, the party-backed mayoral candidate for the Dhaka North City Corporation polls.

When her convoy reached the Banglamotor intersection in Shahbagh around 5:30pm, it was intercepted and attacked.

Several vehicles were vandalised, and a number of people were injured in the assault.