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MyTV Chairman Nasir Uddin and his son, YouTuber Tawhid Afridi, were seen chatting in the dock of the Dhaka court where they were brought on Monday morning.
In contrast, former member of parliament and Awami League leader Haji Mohammad Salim and his son, ex-lawmaker Solaiman Salim, kept their distance. The two were not seen speaking to each other, bdnews24.com reports.
The court was holding hearings on separate cases that day -- one on the 10-day remand plea for Salim and his son in the murder of scrap fabric trader Monir in Chankharpul, and another on the arrest of Nasir and Afridi in an attempted murder case.
The four were brought from jail to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court shortly before 10am. They were taken to the dock around 11am, with handcuffs on their hands, helmets on their heads, and bulletproof vests strapped to their chests.
Nasir stood at the front of the dock, with Afridi beside him. The two exchanged words as they waited for the hearing to begin.
At one point, Nasir spoke briefly with his lawyer, while Afridi kept looking toward the gallery for his relatives. None had arrived yet.
Salim and Solaiman, meanwhile, stood apart, silent and unmoving.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate GM Farhan Ishtiaq entered the courtroom around 11:04am.
The hearing began with the case involving Nasir and Afridi -- an attempted murder charge linked to the attack on Durjoy Ahmed.
The judge asked the investigation officer, Sub-Inspector Golam Kibria Khan of Badda Police Station, to confirm whether the two were named as accused. The officer replied that they were, identifying them as suspect numbers 45 and 46.
The court then ordered their arrest.
Moments later, Mirpur Model Police Station Inspector Sajjad Roman petitioned to show Nasir arrested in another case -- the murder of Mahfuz Alam Shraban in Mirpur. The court approved the request.
The hearing then turned to the remand petition for Salim and Solaiman.
Representing the state, Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi argued in favour of a 10-day remand.
Defence lawyer Prana Nath opposed the motion, filing for bail and saying the pair had already been remanded once before, without any recovery made.
Salim sought permission to speak but was unable to do so.
His lawyer told the court, “He is in jail. If necessary, he should be questioned at the jail gate.”
The court ultimately granted a four-day remand for both father and son.
“What happened?” Salim asked by gesture. Solaiman, standing a short distance away, replied that they both received a four-day remand.
Hearing this, Salim laughed.
As the proceedings continued, Afridi’s mother and sister arrived at the court with other relatives.
They attempted to enter the courtroom but were stopped by police, leading to a brief verbal exchange. They later stood outside near the courtroom door.
Around 11:15am, the accused were taken back to jail under tight security.
As police hurried them away, Nasir and Afridi appeared angered by the rush. They were then escorted quickly to the jail van.
Earlier, while being brought to court, Afridi told reporters, “Please pray for us, my wife will be giving birth soon.”
According to case details, the attempted murder charge stems from an attack on Jul 20, 2024, during the mass uprising, when protesters in the U-loop area of Moddho Badda were shot at.
One protester, Durjoy, was hit by bullets and lost his sight in both eyes and suffered severe head injuries.
Bystanders took him to a nearby hospital, and he was later transferred for advanced treatment to the Combined Military Hospital.
Durjoy later filed a case at Badda Police Station on Nov 20, 2024, against 90 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Mahfuz murder case involves the killing of student activist Shraban on Aug 5, 2024, the day the Awami League government fell.
According to the case, a student procession in Mirpur came under fire from Awami League activists. Shraban was hit by a bullet and died after being taken to a nearby hospital.
In the case of scrap fabric trader Monir, police said he was participating in demonstrations in Chankharpul on the same day when he was shot dead in the afternoon. His wife, Rozina Akhter, later filed a murder case at Shahbagh Police Station on Mar 14.