The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Brig Gen (retd) ASM Hannan Shah, Adviser of BNP Chairperson, and three others, who were arrested Wednesday midnight on charges of Emergency Power Rules (EPR) violation, were taken on a three-day police remand yesterday.

Tejgaon thana sub-inspector Golam Mabud filed a case against Hannan Shah and others on Wednesday midnight in connection with the clash near the mazar of late President Ziaur Rahman, in which BNP standing committee member Mahbubur Rahman was assaulted.

Earlier in May this year, Hannan Shah was arrested in an extortion case filed by Gazipur Awami League leader and, later, got bail from the High Court.

Police arrested Hannan Shah at 11:40pm on Wednesday from his DOHS residence at Mohakhali. Other BNP leaders Ali Arshad Mamun, Zakir Hossain Kazal and Abul Bashar were arrested from the spot on Wednesday morning.

After the arrest, Hannan Shah was kept in Cantonment thana while three others in Mohammadpur thana.

Tejgaon police produced them before the court at about 3:50pm yesterday and sought seven-day remand for each. But the court granted three-day remand.

Tejgaon thana SI Asaduzzaman, the investigation officer (IO), told The New Nation, "We have so far arrested four persons, including ASM Hannan Shah, and took them on remand. We are looking for the other accused and already conducted raids at various places."

Arrested Hannan Shah, however, denied the allegations against him in the court. With the court permission, he said he was not involved in the incident.

Meanwhile, his lawyers said that Hannan Shah was not involved in the incident as he went to the mazar at 12 noon when the incident occurred at about 10:30am. The lawyers had also appealed to the court against the remand and sought to arrange his treatment facilities.

On the other hand, in case forwarding report, police said the accused need to be taken to remand to ascertain the names of other activists involved in the incident near the mazar of Ziaur Rahman on November 7.