Anisul, Salman, Nuruzzaman taken to court in handcuffs

It was 10:05 in the morning on Wednesday when some 50 cops were seen standing in formation at the entrance of the custody of the chief metropolitan magistrate’s (CMM) court in Dhaka. 

A senior officer signaled, and moments later, Salman F Rahman, an adviser to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, was seen walking out of the custody with his head bowed. Dressed in white panjabi and pajama, he had a police helmet on his head, a bulletproof vest on his chest, and his hands handcuffed from behind.

Following Salman was former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, also clad in a helmet and bulletproof vest. Unlike Salman, only one of his hands was handcuffed, while the other rested over it.

Behind them, former law minister Anisul Huq, dressed in a sky-blue panjabi, was also handcuffed in a similar fashion, followed by former social welfare minister Nuruzzaman Ahmed, similarly restrained. 

The next was Abdullah Al Islam Jakob, former state minister for forest and environment, with a hand handcuffed from behind. Former lawmaker Haji Salim had a helmet on his head and a bullet-proof vest on his chest, with a hand handcuffed from behind. At the same time, two female policemen made former education minister Dipu Moni walk out of custody.

Later, Salman, Anisul and Nuruzzaman were taken to the second floor of the court building, where their handcuffs were removed before their entry to the dock. They all kept their heads down during the unlocking of the handcuffs, while Salman was talking to his lawyers. 

When they were produced in the dock, a group of policemen lined up in the front. As the judge was yet to make his entry, Salman and Anisul were speaking to their respective lawyers, while Dipu Moni remained mum. The next ones were Nuruzzaman and Haji Salim. 

Nuruzzaman greeted Haji Salim and the latter responded. Meanwhile, Anisul started having a conversation with Dipu Moni and turned towards Salam after around 2-3 minutes. Later, Salman spoke to former IGP Mamun. 

Their conversations continued for nearly 10 minutes until a policeman announced the judge’s entry.  

The police sought Anisul and Mamun in remand for 10 days in connection with the Jehad Hossain murder case at Jatrabari police station. 

During the hearing, the court’s chief public prosecutor (PP), Omar Faruk Faruki, told the court that during the July-August anti-discrimination movement, law enforcement personnel and ruling party affiliates opened fire at protesters indiscriminately. Anisul Huq and Mamun were directly involved with the killings. 

Mamun’s lawyer argued against the remand, saying his client had already been remanded for 85 days and had no involvement in any murder. While Mamun’s lawyer presented their argument, Anisul Huq’s lawyer remained silent, and the former law minister appeared to be looking intently at the judge.

Hearing both sides, the court granted a three-day remand for both Anisul Huq and Mamun. Later, the prosecution sought a three-day remand for Anisul Huq in connection with the Wasim murder case at Jatrabari. His lawyer refrained from arguing in its against and the court granted the prosecution’s petition. 

Following the court proceedings, they all were handcuffed again, with helmets placed back on their heads. Dipu Moni was brought out first by two female police officers, followed by Haji Salim, Salman, Anisul, and Nuruzzaman. Their hands were seen restrained behind their backs. 

The scenario is quite different from their previous court appearances. After their arrest on 13 August, Anisul and Salman were taken to the court many times. But the police used to handcuff one of their hands, while they used to appear in the dock with their hands in the front. 

The prosecution defended these security measures. PP Omar Faruk told Prothom Alo that he had no idea if Nuruzzaman was produced in the dock with his hands restrained from behind. 

He believes that no accused should be presented before the court this way. However, the police produce the accused with handcuffs on both hands due to security concerns.