Former DGFI officer Manzil to be quizzed for four days over July Uprising ‘murder’
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A Dhaka court has placed retired major Manzil Haider Chowdhury, a former official of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), on police custody for questioning in connection with the “killing” of businessman Abdul Wadud during the July Uprising.
Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbub Alam passed the four-day remand order on Friday following a plea by the Detective Branch (DB) of police, said state counsel Azizul Haque Didar.
Manzil was apprehended in the capital’s Mohakhali DOHS on Thursday, police said.
Inspector Amjad Hossain Talukdar of the DB’s Ramna Zone produced him in court on Friday with an appeal for a seven-day remand.
According to the petition, Manzil had been absconding since the fall of the Awami League regime.
It alleged that he worked to suppress the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement under the directives of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, and the former premier’s military advisor, retired major general Tarique Ahmed Siddique.
According to the investigators, Manzil allegedly used his professional standing as a military officer to formulate “blueprints” to crack down on protesters in coordination with the then-ruling party and its affiliates.
He is further accused of supplying funds, weapons, and ammunition to anti-protest groups under the guidance of Tarique.
“Interrogating the suspect on remand is essential to identifying the sources of funding, the weapons used, and the whereabouts of other named and unidentified fugitives involved in the case,” the investigation officer noted in the plea.
While the state sought the remand, the defence filed a petition seeking bail and the cancellation of the remand plea.
After hearing both sides, the court granted four days for interrogation.
Wadud, a businessman, was shot dead on Jul 19, 2024, in Nilkhet near New Market during the student-led protests.
His brother-in-law, Abdur Rob, subsequently filed a murder case at New Market Police Station, naming 130 individuals including Hasina and Quader.