BNP leader Shahjahan Omar put on remand in bus torching case

A Dhaka court has granted a four-day police remand of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) vice chairman Shahjahan Omar in a case filed over torching a bus in the capital’s New Market area.

The court of judge Md Rashidul Alam of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court in Dhaka pronounced the order on Sunday.

Police arrested him and produced before the court with a 7-day remand plea while defence lawyer Masud Ahmed pleaded for his bail.

The defence lawyer told the court that a plea has been made seeking remand of the former state minister for law. This is ignominious for a freedom fighter like him. There is no specific allegation against the defendant.

Later, addressing the court, Shahjahan Omar, also a Supreme Court lawyer, said, “I’m a freedom fighter. I’m 76 years old now. We all know remand means a certain kind of mental torture. Is it necessary to take a person like me on remand? I’ve diabetes and various other old age complications.”

The BNP leader also sought bail from the court but the court rejected that appeal and placed him on a four-day remand.

Shahjahan Omar was in Dhaka at midnight on Saturday. Then the Detective Branch (DB) of police shown him arrested under the Special Powers Act in connection with the incident torching a bus in the capital’s New Market area.

Earlier, the court granted three-day remand of BNP organising secretary Syed Emran Saleh Prince in a case filed at Paltan police station.

Besides, the party’s vice chairman Air Vice Marshal (retd.) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury has been sent to jail in a case filed at Ramna police station regarding the attack on the residence of the chief justice, and acts of sabotage and violence on 28 October, the day of a mass rally of de facto opposition BNP.