Shaukat Mahmud on 3-day remand

Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists faction president Shaukat Mahmud was remanded in police custody on Wednesday for three days for interrogation in an arson attack case filed with Ramna police station.
The federation faction and its units in different districts and Dhaka Union of Journalists on Wednesday held protest rallies across the country demanding withdrawal of cases against Shaukat and his unconditional release. In the capital, BFUJ and DUJ factions held rally at the National Press Club.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party Burichang upazila unit in Comilla enforced a general strike at the upazila, his birthplace, demanding Shaukat’s release.
Sammiliti Peshajibi Parishad, a pro-BNP platform of professionals, in a statement demanded withdrawal of the cases and release of Shaukat.
Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan remanded Shaukat in custody after Detective Branch of police sub-inspector Shafiqul Islam, also the investigation officer of the case, produced him before the court.
Seeking Shaukat in custody, the investigation officer argued that Shaukat
was implicated in the case for instigating the arson attack.
Opposing the plea, defence lawyer Md Masud Ahmed Talukdar argued that Shaukat was not named in the first information report and he was implicated in the case to harass him politically.
The case was filed accusing 13 BNP-led alliance leaders and activists of hurling a fire bomb at a car in the capital’s Moghbazar area on January 9, leaving its driver injured.
Later, the driver, Abul Kalam Azad, was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to his injures on January 15.
Detectives arrested Shaukat president, in front of Samarai Convention Centre at Panthapath on Tuesday morning.
He went to the convention centre to attend at a press conference of Adarsha Dhaka Andolan, an electoral platform of pro-BNP professionals.

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