A Dhaka court on Tuesday freed former environment, forest and climate change affairs minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury after granting his bail applications in six cases, including four with the Khilgaon police station and two with Paltan police station, mostly over murder allegations.
He is the first Awami League leader who has been freed on bail among dozens of such politicians and former cabinet members arrested over the allegations of killings during the anti-discrimination student movement that ousted the authoritarian regime of Sheikh Hasina on August 5.
On Tuesday, deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 private industry and investment adviser Salman F Rahman, former social welfare minister Dipu Moni, former state minister for posts, telecommunications and information technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Workers Party of Bangladesh president Rashed Khan Menon and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-jasod president Hasanul Haq Inu have been remanded in police custody for different terms in different cases.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court put former police inspector general Abdullah Al Mamun on 43-day remand in eight cases filed against him.
Saber Hossain Chowdhury, a former Awami League lawmaker for Dhaka-9, was granted bail in six cases, including four murder cases and two attempted murder cases.
Saber was the 28th president of the inter-parliamentary union, an international association of parliamentarians, from 2014 to 2017.
Dhaka additional metropolitan magistrate Ziadur Rahman granted him bail in two cases filed with Paltan police station.
Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Mehedi Hasan granted the bail application of Saber in two murder cases and two attempted murder cases filed with Khilgaon Police Station.
His lawyer Morshed Alam Shaheen told 抖阴精品 that Saber walked out of court at about 7:00pm.
鈥楳y client is suffering from multiple diseases, including heart and diabetes. As police did not seek remand in cases, the court granted bail application,鈥� Morshed added.
A team of Detective Branch arrested him from the capital鈥檚 Gulshan area on Sunday.
Salman, Palak, Dipu Moni, and Inu were placed on remand once again in different cases on Tuesday, state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sanstha reported.
Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Shahin Reza passed the orders, at first placing Dipu Moni and Palak on seven-day remand each in a case filed with the Jatrabari police station over the killing of Sakib Hasan during the recent anti-discrimination student movement.
The court placed Dipu Moni, Palak, Menon, and Inu on seven-day remand each in a case lodged with Jatrabari Police Station over the killing of Emon Hossain Gazi.
Salman and Palak were placed on five-day remand each in a case filed with Jatrabari Police Station over the killing of Mahmudul Hasan Joy, 14.
Palak was also placed on another five-day remand in a case filed with New Market Police Station over an alleged attempt to murder Mazedul.
Besides, former deputy commissioner of the detective branch of police Moshiur Rahman was placed on a four-day remand in a case lodged with Jatrabari Police Station over the murder of Rafikul Islam.
The court of Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Shahin Reza granted 43-day remand for Abdullah Al Mamun in seven murder cases filed with the Jatrabari police station and another one filed with New Market police station.
Detective Branch of police arrested the former IGP on September 3 and the court of Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Akhteruzzaman placed him on eight-day remand in case filed over the death of shopkeeper Abu Sayed killed during the student-mass uprising.
He was placed on four-day remand in Mohammad Ismail murder case on September 24.
Meanwhile, police on Monday night arrested four Awami League leaders from the city鈥檚 Pallabi area on charges of killing Sheikh Md Sakib Raihan during the anti-quota student movement at Mirpur on July 19.
The arrested are Md Delwar Hossain, Ismail Hossain Jabed, Md Iftekharul Chowdhury Chamon and Md Lal Mia Mallik, all leaders of Pallabi AL unit. Being tipped off, the police arrested the four AL leaders from Muslim Bazar area of Pallabi in Raihan murder case filed with Pallabi Police Station on October 3. The arrested were found involved in the firing incident and killing through scrutinising the video footages, a police press release said.
The case details said that a group of AL and its associate bodies leaders and activists opened indiscriminate fire at the student-people movement in front of Popular Diagonistic Centre at Mirpur-6 on July 19 afternoon.
Raihan sustained bullet wounds and was rushed to Shaheed Suhrawardi Medical College Hospital, where the on-duty physicians pronounced him dead.