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A Dhaka court has granted police four days to grill former state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak in their custody over the murder of an autorickshaw driver in Jatrabari during last year's Anti-Discrimination Student Movement protests.
On Monday, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate GM Farhan Ishtiaq issued the order after a hearing on the police's remand petition, reports bdnews24.com.
Following the ruling, Palak stood in the dock and wished everyone "Eid Mubarak".
Palak was brought to court under heavy security in the morning. During the hearing, Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi argued for his remand.
"The accused was a key associate of the fascist Hasina regime. He was involved in the murder during the anti-discrimination movement. We requested a 7-day remand and urged the court to approve it," Faruqi said.
Palak’s lawyer Farzana Yasmin Rakhi opposed the remand petition and sought bail instead.
After hearing both sides, the judge remanded Palak to police for four days.
Once the ruling was announced, Palak again said "Eid Mubarak" before being escorted to the courthouse detention centre. He remained silent after that.
According to the case dossier, on Aug 5 last year -- the day of the Awami League government’s fall -- autorickshaw driver Obaidul Islam was shot near the Kajla Flyover in Jatrabari. He was rushed to Mitford Hospital in Old Dhaka, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
On Sept 8, Obaidul's wife Mariam filed a murder case at Jatrabari Police Station, naming Zunaid Ahmed Palak as an accused.