Ivy placed on 2-day remand in murder case, lawyer says victim died in road accident

A Narayanganj court today (25 May) placed Selina Hayat Ivy, former mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation, into a two-day police remand in a case filed over the murder of garment worker Minarul Islam during the July uprising in Siddhirganj.

Narayanganj Senior Judicial Magistrate Md Nur Mahsin passed the order when police produced her before the court with a seven-day remand prayer, said Court Inspector Qaiyum Khan confirmed to The Business Standard.

Awlad Hossain, lawyer for the defendant in the case, said, "First of all, we were not allowed to have a proper hearing in the court. We said the victim in this case died in a road accident, which is proven in the medical certificate.

"Moreover, none of the defendants in this case has mentioned Ivy's name before. The plaintiff has clearly mentioned in the case that Minarul was killed by Shamim Osman's gunshots. On these grounds, we applied to reject the remand. But the court ordered a 2-day remand."

On the other hand, prosecutor Omar Faruk Nayan said, Ivy is the former vice-president of the Narayanganj District Awami League. "On their [AL] orders, their leaders and activists attacked and shot at the student-public and killed ordinary people."

"We asked to place her on a 7-day remand to find out the details of the incident, including where they hid these weapons and ammunition after the murder. The court granted a 2-day remand after the hearing."

Earlier on 9 May, a court sent Ivy to jail in connection with a murder during the July uprising, after an overnight standoff and an attack on the police convoy during her arrest.

The AL leader was arrested on 8 May in connection with the murder of garment worker Minarul Islam during the July uprising in Siddhirganj.