Bangladesh’s former State Minister for Planning, Dr Shamsul Alam, was arrested on Thursday by Dhaka Police in a case lodged over the murder of Jubo Dal leader Shamim.
The Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested Alam from the capital’s Mohammadpur area at 12:30 am.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sarah Farzana Haque sent the former state minister to jail, acting on the police’s plea to keep him behind bars till the end of the probe in the case.
Alam, an award-winning economist, was also the recipient of the second-highest civilian award of the country, ‘Ekushey Padak’ in 2020 for his contribution to economics.
He served as a Professor at Bangladesh Agricultural University for 35 years, and also as Senior Secretary of the General Economics Division (GED) of the Planning Commission during the tenure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
As per reports, the former state minister was accused in multiple cases linked to the July uprising. According to the case documents, the incident took place on October 28, 2023 when BNP called a grand rally in the capital.
On the same day, Awami League (AL) also held a counter-rally aiming to foil the BNP’s program.
Later, clashes broke out in Naya Paltan, where AL activists, allegedly with the support of police, attacked the BNP’s rally, killing Jubo Dal leader Shamim on the spot.
The case was filed with the capital’s Paltan police station on September 24, 2024.
In continuing the crackdown on the Awami League, several leaders of the party were placed under police remand for interrogation by the Yunus-led interim government
A Bangladesh court ordered an 18-day remand for Zafar Alam, former Member of Parliament and Awami League President of Chakaria Upazila, in connection with seven separate cases. The order was issued by Chakaria Senior Judicial Magistrate Anwarul Kabir following petitions filed by investigation officers.
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In a separate development, a Dhaka court on Wednesday ordered a five-day remand for former Law Minister Anisul Haque. It also ordered a three-day remand for former Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain in connection with separate cases.
The Yunus-led administration has issued several arrest warrants against former Prime Minister Hasina, her family members, and Awami League supporters.
