A Dhaka court on Sunday placed eight individuals, including BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Miah Golam Parwar and former vice-president of Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) Nurul Haque Nur, on a five-day remand each in connection with the vandalism at Kazipara Metrorail Station in Mirpur on July 19.
The other accused include BNP Organizing Secretary Qazi Sayedul Alam Babul, Dhaka North City Unit Member Secretary Aminul Haque, Publicity Secretary Sultan Salauddin Tuku, Bagerhat district BNP Convener MA Salam, and activist Mahmudus Salehin.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mainul Islam issued the remand order after Detective Branch (DB) Inspector Asaduzzaman Munshi, the investigating officer (IO), produced the accused before the court with a 10-day remand request.
In his remand prayer, the IO argued that the accused had, in a premeditated manner, committed the offenses under the direction of Nurul Haque and others, intending to destabilize the government.
The IO claimed that remanding them was necessary to uncover vital clues about the incident.
The defence submitted separate petitions seeking bail and the cancellation of the remand order, arguing that their clients were implicated in the case as part of a political conspiracy to harass them.
Nurul Haque, claiming his innocence, told the court he had been previously tortured mentally and physically during a five-day remand in another case.
He argued that another remand would put his life at risk and appealed for the cancellation of the remand prayer.
Earlier on the day, all eight were shown arrested in the case after the IO submitted an application. The IO noted that Nurul Haque Nur, also a member-secretary of Gano Adhikar Parishad, and others were previously arrested in another case filed with Rampura Police Station over vandalism at the Bangladesh Television (BTV) Bhaban in Rampura area on July 18.
On July 26, six other individuals, including a journalist, were placed on a five-day remand in the same case. The individuals are Hafiz Al Asad, Sanaul Haque Niru, Alamgir, Mohiuddin Ahmed Bhuiyan, Abdul Aziz Sultan, and Mayeen.
Hafiz is the organizing secretary of a faction of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ).
According to the case documents, between 5,000 and 6,000 people attacked the Kazipara Metrorail Station in Mirpur between 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm on July 19.
Armed with local weapons, they broke into the station, vandalized it, looted valuable machinery and equipment, and set it on fire. The estimated damage to the station is reported to be Tk 100 crore.
