Ex-joint secretary Jaglul Pasha remanded for 7 days over Khaleda Zia attempted murder case

A Dhaka court today (6 August) placed former joint secretary Syed Jaglul Pasha on a seven-day remand in a case over the alleged attempted murder of former prime minister Khaleda Zia by obstructing her from attending a political rally in 2013.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Didarul Alam passed the order after hearing the remand petition; State prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi confirmed the development.

Detectives of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DB) arrested Jaglul Pasha from his residence in Bashundhara at around 1:30am on 4 August.

The following day, Investigating Officer Inspector Anwar Hossain of the Gulshan Zonal Team produced him before the court and sought a 10-day remand. The court sent him to jail and fixed Thursday for the remand hearing.

According to the remand petition, questioning Jaglul Pasha, the 17th named accused in the case, would help uncover the full circumstances surrounding the incident and facilitate the arrest of other absconding accused. Police argued that remand was essential for a fair and impartial investigation.

During the hearing, Inspector Anwar Hossain argued in support of the remand application.

Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi told the court that sand-laden trucks were used to block the road outside Khaleda Zia's Gulshan residence to stop her from attending the rally.

He alleged that pepper spray was used in an attempt to kill the former prime minister and claimed Jaglul Pasha was a key planner behind the incident. He said custodial interrogation would help uncover the facts and identify others involved.

Opposing the remand, defence lawyer Abul Kalam Azad sought bail, arguing that Jaglul Pasha, 71, had never been involved in politics and was serving as a joint secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration at the time of the alleged incident before retiring in March 2015.

He said his client had no knowledge of the incident, was not present at the scene and that custodial interrogation would yield no useful information.

In reply, the public prosecutor alleged that forged documents had been prepared under Jaglul Pasha's supervision in the Zia Orphanage Trust case and that he had given false testimony.

After hearing both sides, the court granted a seven-day remand.

Jaglul Pasha was seen smiling in the dock and while being taken back to the court lock-up. Asked by a journalist, he said, "I have nothing to say."

According to the case statement, on 28 December 2013, Jaglul Pasha, along with 111 named accused and 250-300 unidentified individuals armed with deadly weapons, gathered outside Khaleda Zia's residence in Gulshan and remained there throughout the day.

The complaint alleges that the accused assaulted BNP leaders and activists, carried out acts of sabotage by blocking roads, disrupted public movement and created an atmosphere of fear to prevent Khaleda Zia from attending a scheduled political rally, thereby depriving her of her democratic rights.

It further alleges that on the morning of 29 December 2013, as Khaleda Zia was preparing to leave for the rally with her entourage, the accused barricaded the roads using sand-laden trucks and other vehicles.

Despite repeated attempts by Khaleda Zia to leave her residence, the accused allegedly continued to obstruct her and used prohibited pepper spray with the intention of killing her. The complaint says Khaleda Zia and several accompanying BNP leaders and activists sustained injuries in the incident.

The case was filed with Gulshan Police Station in October 2024 by Shariful Islam Shawon, former joint secretary of the Latif Hall unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal at Rajshahi University.