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Published : 30 Apr 2025, 01:08 PM
A court has granted police seven days to quiz television actor Siddiqur Rahman in custody in a case involving the attempted murder of rickshaw driver Jabbar Ali Howlader during the July Uprising in Dhaka’s Gulshan.
Dhaka's Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sanaullah issued the order after hearing the investigation officer’s appeal on Wednesday, said Gulshan police prosecution officer Sub-Inspector Moktar Hossain.
Gulshan Police Station's Sub-Inspector Abdus Salam said they sought a 10-day remand for Siddiqur, who was held in the court’s lockup before the hearing.
State lawyer Mahbubey Alam argued in favour of Siddiqur’s remand in court.
He said the accused did “whatever he pleased” during the mass uprising last year.
“The victim in the case was shot on the street. [Siddiqur] prevented [the victim] from being taken to the hospital. Besides, he spoke ill of Khaleda Zia at different times. We request a 10-day remand for him,” he said.
Lawyer Jahangir Biswas, who opposed the remand plea, said: “A specific charge against the accused in missing. [He is] not involved in the incident. He lives with his only son. The boy is ill. [Siddiqur] himself is unwell. We request that the remand petition be rejected and appeal for his bail.”
After hearing both sides, the judge remanded Siddiqur for questioning in police custody for seven days.
On Tuesday, a group of men detained Siddiqur near Bailey Road in the capital, physically assaulted him, and handed him over to Ramna Model Police Station. He was later transferred to Gulshan Police Station.
According to the case statement, on Jul 19, 2024, during an Anti-discrimination Movement protest, gunfire was opened on demonstrators in front of Confidence Tower in Shahjadpur. Jabbar was shot and injured in the incident.
Jabbar later filed a case with Gulshan Police Station accusing 109 people, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Gulshan Police Station chief Mahmudur Rahman said on Tuesday that Siddiqur was implicated in two cases related to the Anti-discrimination Movement.
HOW SIDDIQUR WAS DETAINED
Around 5pm on Tuesday, a group of young men attacked Siddiqur and turned him over to the police.
A video clip circulating on social media shows attackers swoop in on the actor on a footpath, beat him up after calling him “a friend of Awami League” and drag him away, ripping his shirt in the process.
Police personnel close by were initially seen not intervening in the incident, but at one point they stepped forward when Siddiqur was weeping.
In the evening, a Ramna police sub-inspector said some young men had dropped Siddique off at the police station.
This follows another incident on Thursday evening when Siddiqur’s home in Gulshan’s Shahjadpur was surrounded by local BNP activists.
According to a report by Swadesh Pratidin, the actor was at home at the time. Upon receiving word of the gathering outside, Siddiqur fled the scene in a car with the help of family members.
Actor-turned-MP Akbar Hossain Pathan Farooque won the Dhaka-17 seat in the 11th general election.
After his death, Siddiqur sought the Awami League nomination, but the ticket went to Mohammad Ali Arafat, who won the seat.
When Siddiqur was denied the nomination, he drew public attention by going live on Facebook and announcing a trip to Dubai “to lift his mood”.
Ahead of the 12th general election, he collected nomination forms for both Dhaka-17 and his birthplace, Tangail-1, but was not selected by the party in either constituency.
