Ex-Cantonment OC sent to jail after two rounds of remand
Police say the former OC was arrested over anti-state and provocative statements on social media after a viral audio recording in which he made remarks about the government, army and police.
A Dhaka court today (30 September) sent former Cantonment Police Station officer-in-charge Rakibul Hasan to jail after two rounds of remand in a sedition case filed over allegations that he spread anti-state and provocative statements on social media.
Detective Branch Inspector Mohammad Jehad Hossain, the investigating officer in the case, produced Rakibul before the court after the remand ended and sought an order to keep him in jail.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Arifur Rahman granted the prosecution's plea. No bail petition was filed on Rakibul's behalf during the hearing.
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Prosecution Department Sub-Inspector Tarekur Rahman confirmed the matter to The Business Standard.
The court had initially granted Rakibul five days' remand on 24 September, followed by a further two days on 28 September.
In a press release on 24 September, police said Rakibul had been arrested in a sedition case for allegedly spreading anti-state and provocative statements on social media.
Rakibul came under scrutiny after an audio clip purportedly featuring him surfaced on social media.
In the recording, the speaker allegedly made various comments about the government, administration, army and police, including allegations of political affiliations among senior police officials and financial transactions in the posting of OCs.
The recording also included remarks about ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's possible return to Bangladesh, including the claim that "nothing will happen" if she returns in December and that police will not be able to stop her.
As the audio went viral on 17 September, Dhaka Metropolitan Police removed Rakibul from his post and attached him to the central reserve office under the DMP headquarters and administration division.
Several police sources had initially identified the voice in the audio as Rakibul's. He, however, claimed in a Facebook post that the recording had been generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
Rakibul was taken to the DMP Detective Branch office for questioning on the night of 17 September. The DMP also formed a three-member committee to investigate the matter.
Meanwhile, the DMP appointed Inspector Mohammad Gias Uddin as the new OC of the police station on 24 September.
