A Dhaka court has granted a further four-day remand for former Director of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) Afzal Naser in a case filed over the killing of BNP activist Makbul Hossain under Paltan Model Police Station.
On Wednesday (April 8), the accused was produced before the court after completion of a three-day remand. The investigation officer, Sub-Inspector Tofazzal Hossain of the DB Police Motijheel Zonal Team, sought a fresh seven-day remand for further interrogation.
During the hearing, Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruqui argued in favor of remand, stating that the accused had been an associate and beneficiary of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and additional interrogation was necessary in the interest of the investigation.
Defense lawyer Helal Uddin opposed the remand plea, arguing that Afzal Naser had received no undue benefit except a state award during the previous regime and that there was no substantive evidence against him beyond his name being included in the case. He requested cancellation of the remand and suggested that any further questioning could be conducted at the jail gate if necessary.
After hearing both sides, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Sefatullah granted a four-day remand.
Afzal Naser had been on remand in the same case since last Sunday. He was arrested late at night on March 29 from a residence in Mirpur DOHS by Detective Branch police. Earlier, he was placed on a six-day remand in connection with another case over the killing of Delwar Hossain during the anti-discrimination movement. This marks the third remand sought by police against him.
According to the case statement, the BNP announced a one-point movement program on December 10, 2022. Prior to that, on December 7, DB police officers Harun Or Rashid, Mehedi Hasan, and Biplob Kumar conducted an operation at the BNP’s Naya Paltan office, allegedly vandalizing the premises and attacking thousands of party activists gathered nearby. BNP worker Makbul Hossain was shot during the incident and later died.
Following the incident, on September 30, 2024, complainant Mahfuzur Rahman filed a case against 256 individuals, including Sheikh Hasina.
