A court has remanded 18 individuals, including Mahbubul Alam Chowdhury, the convener of ‘Ahingsho Gana Abhyutthan,' to prison in connection with a conspiracy case. The accused are charged with inciting riots and attempting to destabilize the country by enticing people with promises of interest-free loans amounting to lakhs of taka.
On Tuesday, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Monirul Islam issued an order for the 18 individuals to be sent to prison.
The accused who went to jail are Advocate Ziaur Rahmans, a supporter of Ahingsho Gana Abhyutthan Bangladesh, Syed Istiak Ahmed (47), Md. Mehedi Hasan (34), Convener of Ahingsho Gana Abhyutthan Bangladesh Netrokona Md. Rahat Imam Noman (33), Md. Abu Bakkar (49), Md. Rinku (21), Md. Masud (37), Md. Afzal Mandal (42), Ibrahim (29), Md. Alek Farazi (44), Md. Saiful Islam (48), Md. Nizam Uddin (32), Syed Harun Or Rashid (60), Abdur Rahim (30), Nur Nabi (45), Md. Shahid (28) and Md. Kohinur Akhter (50).
Earlier, the case's investigation officer, Sub-Inspector Mahfuzur Rahman of Shahbagh Police Station, presented the accused in court and requested their detention in jail. The defense lawyer filed a bail petition on behalf of the accused. The court remanded them to prison and scheduled the bail hearing for next Thursday.
Meanwhile, following his arrest, ABM Mustafa Amin, the convener of Ahingsho Gana Abhyutthan Bangladesh, fell ill due to his advanced age. The investigating officer informed the court that he was receiving treatment at a hospital in the capital. A request was made for a remand warrant to bring him before the court, to which the court directed that he be produced once he has recovered.
Earlier, on Monday morning, an organization named 'Ahingsho Gana Abhyutthan' attempted to mobilize thousands of people in Shahbagh, Dhaka. The group targeted low-income workers nationwide, enticing them with promises of recovering money smuggled abroad and offering interest-free loans in return. However, they also extorted a registration fee of 1,000 taka from each participant. Following this incident, the police registered a case at Shahbagh Police Station in the capital.
The charges in the case indicate that on November 25, members of 'Ahingsho Gana Abhyutthan Bangladesh' orchestrated a criminal conspiracy to bring ordinary citizens from various districts to Dhaka with promises of interest-free loans. They unlawfully gathered people and incited a riot at Shahbagh intersection, disturbing the law and order situation. The accused also damaged the plastic road divider at the intersection, causing an estimated loss of Tk 20,000.
BD-Pratidin English/Mazdud
