Bail granted to the rickshaw puller assaulted at Dhanmondi 32 while paying tribute

A Dhaka court has granted bail to rickshaw puller Azizur Rahman, who was assaulted and subsequently arrested while attempting to lay flowers at Dhanmondi 32 on the anniversary of the death of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court in Dhaka passed the order on Sunday, Azizur Rahman’s lawyer Farzana Yasmin confirmed the matter to Prothom Alo.

Farzana Yasmin stated that her client had been arrested in connection with an earlier attempted murder case filed with Dhanmondi police station. He submitted a bail petition before the court, which, following a hearing, granted the bail upon a bond of 1,000 taka.

According to police and court sources, Sub-Inspector Mohammad Touhidur Rahman of Dhanmondi police station appealed yesterday to show Azizur Rahman as arrested in one of the pending cases. The court approved the petition and subsequently ordered that he be sent to prison.

On 15 August, at around 12:15 pm, Azizur Rahman visited the former residence of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi 32, carrying flowers as a gesture of respect. Identifying himself as a rickshaw puller, he stated that he had no political affiliation and had come solely out of affection for Bangabandhu. At that point, several individuals physically assaulted him, after which police took him into custody.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), however, has clarified that Azizur Rahman was not arrested as an accused in a murder case.

In an official statement, the DMP noted that on 16 August, Azizur Rahman was produced before the court as a suspect in a regular case filed with Dhanmondi Police Station in April of this year.

The statement emphasised that misleading and false information has been circulated on social and mainstream media, particularly the claim that he was arrested as an accused in a murder case.

The DMP described such claims as entirely baseless and deliberately misleading.

The DMP further said that Azizur Rahman was shown as a suspect in a regular case, not a murder case, but certain quarters have falsely portrayed it otherwise.

Meanwhile, the government has issued a statement noting that the Dhanmondi police station officer-in-charge has been asked to provide an explanation regarding the basis on which rickshaw puller Azizur Rahman was shown as a suspect in the case.

The DMP has also been instructed to review whether there were any inconsistencies in the recent conduct and statements of the police officer concerned, it added.

The court has also directed that, under the recently amended Section 173(A) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), an expeditious report must be submitted regarding Azizur Rahman’s alleged involvement in the case.