Ex-minister Qamrul Islam scolds police at court

Former food minister Qamrul Islam has reprimanded police officers for not allowing him to speak to journalists on court premises.

The incident occurred on Monday while he was being brought from the detention cell to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka.

A hearing was scheduled over the formal arrest of Qamrul and former judge Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik in connection with the murder of school student Rakib Hasan during last year’s July Uprising.

Around 10:15am, they were brought to the courtroom. Both were handcuffed, wearing bulletproof vests and helmets. As police escorted them under tight security, Qamrul attempted to speak with reporters.

However, police officers stopped him from doing so, prompting Qamrul, a senior Awami League politician, to become visibly angry. He scolded the officers, saying: “Why? Why are you pulling me?”

Justice Manik remained silent throughout the incident.

Later, Metropolitan Magistrate MA Azharul Islam approved their arrests in the case, according to Morshed Hossain Shaheen, a defence lawyer.

Previously, on Jan 8, Qamrul had expressed frustration with the police in court. That day, a hearing was held over his formal arrest in a separate murder case filed at Lalbagh Police Station.

As he was being brought to the courtroom, Qamrul was made to use the stairs instead of the lift, prompting him to angrily say: “There’s a limit to this disgrace. Are you trying to mock me?”

According to details of the latest case, on Jul 19 last year, Rakib Hasan, a seventh-grader at ITZ School and College in Mohammadpur, was shot in front of St Joseph School. He was taken to the Neurosciences Hospital, where he died later that night.

On Sept 22, Nurul Amin, Rakib’s uncle, filed a case against 87 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Qamrul is listed as the 10^th accused, and Manik as the 11^th.