Ex-food minister Qamrul on 8-day remand

A Dhaka court today placed former food minister Qamrul Islam on an eight-day remand in a murder case filed over the death of trader Abdul Wadud during quota reform protests in Dhaka’s New Market area on July 19.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ziadur Rahman passed the order after Investigation Officer Md Jahangir Arip, an inspector of Detective Branch of Police, produced him before the court with a 10-day remand prayer, a sub-inspector working at the court told The Daily Star.
In the remand prayer, the IO said Qamrul, a former lawmaker from Dhaka-2 constituency, was aware of the violence and killing. Moreover, he was “directly involved” with the killing. So, he needs to be remanded to find out the vital clues about the incident.
Claiming himself innocent, Qamrul told the court he was not at the spot during the time of the incident and he was not the lawmaker from that constituency.
Later, Qamrul sought bail and cancellation of the remand prayer. Qamrul said, “This day is not the day; our day will come.”
During the court proceedings, pro-BNP lawyers protested his comments and started shouting. But the magistrate asked them to be calm.
Upon the hearing, the magistrate dismissed his plea and placed him on remand.
The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police detained Qamrul from the capital’s Uttara last night.
Abdul Wadud, 45, a trader of Priyangon Shopping Centre in the New Market area, was killed in New Market area during the recent anti-discrimination student movement on July 19.
The victim’s relative Abdur Rahman filed the case on August 21 against 130 people, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and senior AL leaders including Obaidul Quader, Anisul Huq, Asaduzzaman Khan, Salman F Rahman, and Amir Hossain Amu.