Manna alleges torture in custody.
Nagarik Oikya convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna on Saturday told a metropolitan magistrate that he feared for his life as he was tortured in 10-day police custody for interrogation in a case on charge of ‘trying to instigate mutiny in the armed forces.’ ‘I fear for my life and I might suffer a cardiac arrest as I cannot tolerate the pressure…If necessary, please interrogate me at jail gate,’ he told the court. Metropolitan magistrate Mohammad Ataul Haque, however, remanded Manna, also former ruling Awami League organising secretary, in police custody again for 10 days for interrogation in a sedition case. Earlier on February 25, Manna, also former Dhaka University Central Students Union vice-president, was remanded in police custody for 10 days for in a case on charge of ‘trying to instigate mutiny in the armed forces.’ In the petition seeking Manna in custody for interrogation, Gulshan police station inspector (investigation) Firoj Kabir, also the investigation officer of the sedition case, stated that on approval by the home ministry the case was filed on March 5 Manna and Bangladesh Nationalist Party vice-chairman Sadeque Hossain, now abroad, over their reported telephone conversation leaked on social media in February.
Defence counsel argued that the police brought no new allegation rather wanted to take Manna in custody on the same allegation but in a separate case. ‘Police have brought the charges against Manna but there is no reaction from the army on whether such allegation is valid,’ defence counsel MSF Tuhin Hawlader argued. At once, Manna, from the accused box, took permission from the court for two minutes and said that he was picked up by law enforcers on February 23 and was handed over to Gulshan police at around midnight on February 24. ‘Where I was kept during that period?’ He said, ‘I am being interrogated from 9:00am to 1:30am everyday in police custody…On March 4, I needed four-hour bed rest due to torture. There is no physician inside the Detective Branch office on call…You [the magistrate] may ask my physician Maksumul Haq of BIRDEM who will be giving you details of my condition. ’ As soon as Manna stopped his speech, the court rejected the petition seeking his bail in both cases and remanded him in custody. Manna’s wife Meher Nigar later told reports on the court premises that Manna was tortured both ‘mentally and physically’ in custody. Nagarik Oikya in a statement alleged that Manna was not being provided with medicines. They also demanded his immediate release.
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