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Abdur Razzaque and Faruk Khan, two former ministers in the Awami League administration, have been remanded for two days each for interrogation in police custody in separate cases.
Two Dhaka metropolitan magistrates made the decisions after hearings on Tuesday.
Police brought Razzaque, a former minister of agriculture, to court on Tuesday in a case over the death of trader Abdul Wadud, who was shot to death in the New Market area during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement. The investigator in the case, Inspector Jahangir Arif from the Detective Branch, then petitioned for him to be remanded for seven days.
The defence then requested the scrapping of the remand petition and moved the court for bail. The state opposed the bail petition. After the hearing, Dhaka Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbubul Haque remanded Razzaque for two days.
Wadud, a 45-year-old who worked at the Priyangan Shopping Centre, was shot in the head on his way from work when sound grenades, tear shells, rubber bullets and live rounds were used on a peaceful march by students and the public in front of New Market’s Gate No. 1 on Jul 19, according to the case dossier. He later died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Razzaque was arrested on Monday night from Dhaka’s Eskaton.
Razzaque was elected MP from the Tangail-1 seat as an Awami League candidate in 2001, 2008, 2014, 2018, and 2024. He served as minister of food and minister of disaster management during the ninth parliament. He was also the minister of agriculture in the 11th parliament.
FARUK ALSO REMANDED FOR 2 DAYS
Sub Inspector Nazmul Hassan of Paltan Police Station brought Faruk, a former minister of civil aviation and tourism, to court and requested he be remanded for 10 days in a case over the murder of a BNP activist. Hemayet Uddin Hiron, the lawyer for the defence, opposed the remand petition and requested bail.
State Counselor Omar Faruk Farooqi opposed the bail petition.
Judicial Metropolitan Magistrate Sanaullah allowed Faruk to speak at the hearing. The Awami League Presidium member claimed he had no connection with the case and did not know anything about it. He said he has never harassed BNP activists and is unwell and asked the court to grant him bail.
After the hearing, the magistrate remanded him for two days.
According to the case dossier, BNP activists gathered in Dhaka for a rally on Dec 10, 2022. From 3pm to 11pm on Dec 7, BNP activists were victimised by unprovoked baton charges, improvised explosive blasts, shells, detonations of sound grenades, and gunfire, the case says.
Several hundred BNP activists were injured. Among them was an activist named Makbul, who was declared dead when he was taken to DMCH.
Faruk was arrested from the Dhaka Cantonment area late Monday night by the Rapid Action Battalion.
Faruk was elected to parliament from the Gopalganj-1 seat in June 1996. He has been its MP for six consecutive terms.
He was appointed the civil aviation and tourism minister in the 12th national parliament. He also served in the post from 2011-2013 and was also the minister of commerce for a brief period.