Staff Correspondent:

A Dhaka court has sent former senior secretary Abu Alam Md Shahid Khan to jail on Monday (September8) in a case file under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Shahbagh Police Station.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Saifuzzaman issued the order on Monday (September8) after hearing a petition submitted by the investigation officer of the case, Sub-Inspector Toufiq Hasan of Shahbagh Police Station.

Earlier, he along with five others were arrested over alleged involvement in the “Mancha 71” conspiracy in a case filed at Shahbagh Police Station.

Additional Public Prosecutor Shamsuddoha Suman said the police petition stated Shahid Khan was present at the scene of the incident and was involved in it. As the case is still under investigation, and his identity and address are yet to be fully verified, keeping him in jail is essential for the sake of proper investigation. It also mentioned that police may later apply for his remand for extensive interrogation.

The six people were arrested from Ramna area of the capital today and shown arrested in a case file under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Shahbagh Police Station, confirmed Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Deputy Commissioner Md Talebur Rahman.

According to the case statement, on 5 August, a platform named “Mancha 71” was launched with the declared aim of resisting any conspiracy to erase or distort the history of the Liberation War. As part of its activities, the group arranged a roundtable discussion on 28 August at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) in Segunbagicha.

Freedom fighters, lawyers, writers, journalists, teachers and former bureaucrats attended the event.

At one point, the demonstrators stormed the hall, surrounded the speakers, and forced the event to come to an abrupt halt.

Television footage showed Latif sitting quietly on a chair while angry people surrounded him, shouting slogans.

While many guests were forced to leave, former minister Abdul Latif Siddique and Professor Sheikh Hafizur Rahman were held inside until police intervened and detained 16 people.

Sub-Inspector Amirul Islam later filed a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Shahbagh Police Station on 29 August.

Shahid Khan previously served as deputy press secretary to then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from 1996 to 2001.