Police to seek remand for BNP’s Aslam, sedition charges on process

BNP leader Aslam Chowdhury, arrested over his suspected link to a ‘conspiracy’ to topple the government in collusion with Israel, has been produced before a Dhaka court on Monday to seek his remand.

Police officials said that the process were on to slap sedition charges against him.

“He will be shown arrested under Section 54 and a ten-day remand will be sought for him,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Maruf Hossain Sardar told bdnews24.com earlier on the day.

The BNP joint secretary general was on his way to Narayanganj when police stopped his car on Sunday on the ‘Kurhil-Purbachol link road’ at Khilkhet and detained him.

Earlier on Sunday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told the media that a travel ban had been slapped on Aslam.

On Monday, Detective Branch official Abdul Baten told bdnews24.co that the process to bring sedition charges against him were on.

“We are collecting evidences. The case will be filed after securing the home minister’s permission,” said Joint Commissioner Baten.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia made Aslam a joint secretary general of the party after their last council in March. He is also the convener of the party’s Chittagong North unit.

He came under spotlight recently after a Bangladesh daily ran a report on a meeting between him and Israel’s ruling Likud party leader Mendi N Safadi in India along with a photo of the two.

The ruling Awami League leaders have claimed that the BNP in collusion with Israel and its spy agency Mossad was hatching a ‘conspiracy’ to overthrow the Sheikh Hasina government.

On Saturday, the Palestinian envoy in Dhaka said it would be a ‘political suicide’ for any Bangladeshi party to have ties with Israel.

The BNP, however, has dismissed the allegations of its having any ties with Israel or Mossad, and said Aslam Chowdhury’s India visit earlier this month was ‘personal’.