‘May Bangladesh prosper,’ says Barrister Suman before being taken to jail

Barrister Syed Sayedul Haque Suman, a former MP and prominent social media personality, has been placed under arrest in another case linked to the July Uprising -- this time over the murder of a worker on Aug 5, 2024, the day of the Awami League regime's fall.

As he was being escorted to jail from the courtroom on Wednesday, Suman's parting words were: "May Bangladesh fare well."

Suman was among seven people whose arrest had been ordered by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Arifur Rahman.

Upon arriving at the court for the hearing in the morning, Suman's handcuffs, helmet, and bulletproof vest were removed. He then spoke briefly with lawyers. Around 10am, Magistrate Arifur Rahman entered the courtroom and the hearing began.

Suman's counsel Zahirul Islam told the court: "He is listed as the 25th suspect in the case. I request 15-20 minutes to speak to him about the case."

However, Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi opposed the request, saying: “Apart from his lawyer, the suspect has already spoken with many others for 30 minutes after being brought into the courtroom. Now he wants to talk more.”

The court then issued the arrest order against the suspects.

As he was being led to prison, several people on the court premises shouted at him, calling him a “crook”. Suman then turned to reporters and said: “May Bangladesh fare well. May Bangladesh fare well. I will say nothing more.”

On Aug 28, the case's investigating officer submitted a petition for the arrest of Suman and six others. The court subsequently scheduled a hearing for Wednesday in the presence of the accused.

According to the case statement, on Aug 5 last year, 35-year-old Md Riaz was shot in front of the Jatrabari Police Station. He was later taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

On Jul 22, Riaz’s wife, Farzana Begum, filed a case at Jatrabari Police Station, accusing 213 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Suman.

In line with a series of arrests of Awami League MPs and ministers after the government’s fall, Suman was detained on Oct 21 last year. He has remained in prison since, and has been taken on remand several times.

Suman was elected as an independent candidate in the 12th national election from Habiganj-4, covering Chunarughat and Madhabpur Upazilas.

He defeated the Awami League’s “heavyweight” candidate, former civil aviation and tourism minister Md Mahbub Ali, by nearly 100,000 votes.

Suman had previously risen to prominence on social media, where his posts and live broadcasts on public welfare issues garnered attention.