Speech-impaired man arrested for 'sloganeering' at AL procession secures bail
As there are no other cases against him, there is no bar to his release from jail, says his lawyer
A Dhaka court has granted bail to a speech-impaired man arrested in Dhaka's Gulistan for allegedly chanting slogans during a flash procession of Awami League activists, in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Zakir Hossain granted Sayed Sheikh bail today (2 September) after a hearing on a bond of Tk1,000, until the investigation report is submitted, Prosecutor Muhammad Shamsuddoha Suman confirmed.
Earlier on 25 August, police produced Sayed before a court after arresting him at the procession and sought to keep him in jail. They also noted in their application that he is speech-impaired.
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The court denied him bail after a hearing and sent him to jail.
The next day, Sayed's lawyers filed an application seeking bail, claiming that he has a disability.
After reviewing the application, the court scheduled a hearing in the presence of the accused for Thursday (28 August).
That day, the investigating officer, Maksudul Hasan, appeared in court, and Sayed was also produced before it from jail.
After the hearing, Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Zakir Hossain instructed the senior jail superintendent of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj to have Sayed examined by a specialist doctor under the provisions of the Jail Code to determine whether he is disabled and to submit a report.
The senior jail superintendent, Suraiya Akter, informed the court that no report had yet been received from the Dhaka civil surgeon's office.
During today's hearing, Sayed's lawyer Umme Habiba told the court that Sayed is speech-impaired and cannot speak, asking how he could have chanted slogans at a procession, when he cannot even feed himself.
Prosecutor Suman opposed the bail, arguing that the accused is not disabled but merely stammers or speaks unclearly.
"A person who stammers is not the same as a disabled person. Even though Sheikh Hasina fled, her associates remained. They marched on 24 August to bring Sheikh Hasina back. The accused is neither disabled nor a child."
He stated that no report regarding the accused's disability had yet been received, and he opposed the bail until such a report is submitted.
After hearing both sides, the court said the matter needs to be clarified; otherwise, it could be misinterpreted.
The magistrate noted today that the investigating officer has shown the court a video of the procession. "In an earlier video, it appeared that Sayed had spoken in support of the previous government (Awami League), though it was not entirely clear. Considering humanitarian aspects, the court grants bail until the police report is submitted."
Meanwhile, another of Sayed's lawyers, Mohammad Liton Mia, said there are no other cases against him and expressed hope that he will be released from jail tomorrow.
According to the case statement, at around 5:30pm on 25 August near Golap Shah's shrine in Gulistan, Raju Ahmed, Sheikh Md Shakil, Sayed Sheikh, along with 200–250 unnamed people, including members, financiers, advisers and coordinators of a "government-banned organisation," gathered to conspire against the security of the state and the government and to carry out destructive activities.
It adds that they began chanting slogans, and when the police attempted to arrest them, these three were apprehended while the others fled in different directions.
Paltan Model Police Station Sub-Inspector Mohammad Abu Yusuf filed the case in this connection under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
