Staff Correspondent:

The arrest of actor Mortuza Palash in a murder case filed over an incident during the anti-discrimination student movement has come to light.

Police arrested Palash, a named accused in the case, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on August 28 after he returned to Bangladesh from Nepal following a shooting schedule. He is currently in jail.

A source familiar with the case said Palash was taken into remand following his arrest. After the remand period, the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court ordered that he be sent to jail.

Palash had been in Nepal to take part in the shooting of Shikar, a film starring popular actor Apu Biswas. The film’s Nepal schedule began in August, and the crew completed more than 25 days of shooting there.

The film unit returned to Bangladesh on August 28 after flash floods disrupted the schedule. Palash was arrested at the airport on the same day. His arrest, however, was not publicly known until recently.

A source involved with the case claimed that police obtained some information from Palash during interrogation regarding the incident and other accused in the case. However, law enforcement authorities have yet to make any official statement regarding the matter.

Meanwhile, Palash’s detention has put the remaining work on Shikar in uncertainty.

Most of the film’s scenes have already been shot in Nepal, while several scenes and songs are still awaiting filming. Director Kamruzzaman Roman had planned to complete the remaining shooting in October in Bangladesh and other locations.

However, the director has been unable to finalise the shooting schedule because Palash is currently in jail.

Speaking to the media, Kamruzzaman Roman said most of the shooting for Shikar had been completed successfully in Nepal.

“Our plan was to complete the remaining work in Bangladesh and other locations in October. But as our lead actor Mortuza Palash is currently in jail, it is not possible to finalise a shooting schedule at the moment,” he said.

The director said Palash was dealing with the matter through legal channels and expressed hope that the actor would be released soon through the legal process.

“Our production company and the entire team hope that he will be released very soon through the legal process,” Roman said.

“If the legal complications continue for a long time, we will have to take the next decision depending on the situation. For now, we have no option but to wait,” he added.

Shikar is a thriller based on a story set in a border area. The screenplay has been written by Abdullah Zahir Babu.

Alongside Mortuza Palash and Apu Biswas, the film features Mahmudul Islam Mithu, Suman Anwar and actors from West Bengal, including Kharaj Mukherjee, Rajatabha Dutta and Shyam Bhattacharya.