A storm of protest has forced the spotlight onto the arrest of rickshaw-puller Md. Azizur Rahman, who was detained from Dhanmondi 32 area and shown as a suspect in an attempted murder case.
A Dhaka court on Sunday granted him bail.
The government, meanwhile, had stepped in, with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) confirming that it has sought a formal explanation from the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Dhanmondi Police Station over the grounds on which Azizur was treated as a suspect.
At the same time, a review has been launched into whether the OC’s recent actions and statements reveal inconsistencies. The controversy grew deeper after the OC claimed that they had been working at the instructions of the Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser.
The arrest traces back to August 15, when Azizur was allegedly beaten after attempting to place flowers at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence at Dhanmondi 32, a site that had been reduced to rubble in two separate attacks following the mass upsurge of August 5, 2024.
Soon after, he was taken into custody and later shown arrested in connection with an attempted murder case filed in April 2024 at Dhanmondi Police Station. That case relates to the shooting of Md. Ariful Islam during anti-Hasina protests at Science Lab.
Initial bail petitions were rejected, sending Azizur to jail, but Sunday’s order from Metropolitan Magistrate M.A. Azharul Islam has dramatically altered the course of events.
Police officials later admitted that Azizur was not formally accused in the murder case, but had been sent to jail merely as a “suspect.” This contradicted earlier reports in some newspapers that suggested he was arrested as a named accused in the Science Lab shooting case.
The contradictory statements, conflicting media reports, and Azizur’s treatment have sparked widespread criticism on social media, where many view the episode as an abuse of power.
