Dhaka, Oct 23 (bdnews24.com)—A magistrate on Friday gave the police eight days to grill Kamrul Haque Swapan, the brother of self-confessed killer Shariful Haque Dalim, and Abdur Rahim, arrested on Thursday in connection with Wednesday's bomb attack on Awami League MP Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.
Magistrate AGM Al Masud of the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court granted the remand after police appealed for 10 days to question them in custody.
Rahim is a worker of the Freedom Party, which was founded, among others, by death convict in Bangabandhu murder trial dismissed lieutenant colonel Syed Faruq Rahman.
Dalim, who confessed to killing president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Aug 15, 1975, was convicted and given the death penalty.
He is now a fugitive, while the long-stalled appeals of other of the death convicts in the case are being heard in the Supreme Court.
Taposh, a nephew of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, is also involved with the legal team assisting the state counsels in the appeals proceedings.
The young MP, whose parents Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni and Arzoo Moni were also murdered on Aug 15, came under a bomb attack as he was leaving his Motijheel office by car on Wednesday night.
He was unhurt but 13 others, mostly bystanders, were injured by the blast.
Taposh alleged on Thursday that the attack was made upon him to derail the appeals process in the Supreme Court.
He filed a case with Motijheel Police Station earlier in the day, mentioning no names, but alleging that the relatives and associates of those convicted of the Aug 15 killings were involved in the attack.
The case details said they carried out the attack in a premeditated manner to kill him in order to disrupt the final outcome of the trial of the killers of 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujib.
Investigation officer (IO) of the case Arzu Mia participated in the hearing of the remand appeal where the general recording officer of police M A Huq and several counsels for the complainant were also present.
Lawyers Hafizur Rahman Tota and Anwar Sadat Shawon argued for the remand.
The IO in the hearing said, "The parents of the complaintant, who was a child then, were killed on Aug 15, 1975. The incident was occurred to divert the Bangabandhu murder trial and to create unrest around the country.
"The convicts attacked Taposh in collusion with the self-confessed killers of Bangabandhu. We need 10 more days to quiz them to track down their associates."
He also said, "The remand is needed to stop repetition of Aug 15. Aides and relatives of the convicts had issued threats time and again that they would see how the verdict is executed.
Lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukder contested the remand appeal and sought bail for the defendants.
"Swapan is guilty as he is the brother of major Dalim. He was arrested earlier in 1996. He is 60 years old and had a kidney operation. His name is not there in the case charges.
"Swapan was arrested 24 hours into the incident, which was planned and a conspiracy against him.
"He is a freedom fighter who was awarded 'Bir Uttam'," Talukder claimed.
Wife of Swapan, Salma Huq Rozi, broke into tears at the court after the remand was granted.
"Swapan is a neighbour of barrister Taposh. They had a warm relation althrough and nothing notable happened between them," the lawyer said.
bdnews24.com/pb/mi/pks/bd/1547h.
