Faruk Khan sent to jail after remand

Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan, former Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister, has been sent to jail following the completion of his two-day remand in a case related to the murder of a BNP activist.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ali Haidar issued the order today (17 October), rejecting Khan's bail plea after hearing both sides of the case.

Investigating officer (SI) Nazmul Hachan of Paltan police station produced Khan before the court after his two-day remand.

Khan's lawyer Morshed Hossain Shaheen submitted a bail application, but this was opposed by the public prosecutor, Omar Faruk Faruki.

After hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defence, the court ordered that Khan be sent to jail.

Earlier, on 15 October, Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court granted a two-day remand for Khan.

He was produced in court that day with a 10-day remand request from the police. Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruki argued in favour of the remand, while defence lawyers sought its cancellation and applied for bail.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanaullah subsequently granted a two-day remand after hearing from both sides.

Khan was arrested in the early hours of 14 October from the CMH area in Dhaka.

This case dates back to 10 December 2022, when the BNP announced a one-point demand programme.

On 7 December, Detective Branch (DB) police officers Harun Or Rashid, Mehedi Hasan, and Biplob Kumar conducted an operation at the BNP's central office in Naya Paltan, leading to widespread vandalism.

During the incident, law enforcement clashed with thousands of BNP activists, leaving a party member, Mokbul Hossain, injured with bullets.

On 30 September, a man named Mahfuzur Rahman filed a case accusing former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 255 others in connection with the incident. Faruk Khan was one of the accused named in the case.