Anis Alamgir sent to jail after remand

A Dhaka court on Saturday, December 20, sent journalist Anis Alamgir to jail after the completion of his police remand in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Uttara West Police Station.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Hasan Shahadat passed the order after Anis Alamgir was produced before the court at the end of a five-day remand.

Prosecution Sub-Inspector Shamim Hossain told the court that the investigating officer, Detective Branch (DB) Inspector Kazi Shahnewaz, had sought to place the accused in judicial custody.

In the application, police said that several pieces of information relevant to the case had been obtained during interrogation and that verification of those details was still under way. It also noted that a further remand might be sought if required, making it necessary to keep the accused in custody for the time being.

During the hearing, defence lawyers, including Naznin Nahar, sought divisional facilities for Anis Alamgir. After hearing both sides, the court directed the prison authorities to act in accordance with jail regulations.

According to case documents, a Detective Branch team picked up Anis Alamgir for questioning in Dhaka after 8:00pm on December 14 and took him to the DB office. Later that night, Arian Ahmed, a member of an organisation named the “July Revolutionary Alliance”, filed a case against him.

The case alleges that Anis Alamgir and three others conspired to destabilise the state and were involved in activities aimed at inciting a banned organisation.

The other accused in the case are actress Meher Afroz Shaon, fashion model Maria Kispotta and television presenter Imtu Ratish Imtiaz.

The court had granted a five-day police remand for Anis Alamgir the following day.

MDAA/MHK/NMA