Two former Army Officers remanded for four days

A court has placed two retired army officers on four days’ remand in a case involving allegations of conspiring against the government, inciting violence, illegal financing and spreading disinformation on social media.

On Monday (October 12), Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Didarul Alam rejected their bail petitions and ordered the remand.

The accused are retired Lieutenant Kazi Gulshan Ara, 43, and retired Lieutenant Colonel Debashish, 47. Both were arrested in a case filed with Pallabi Police Station.

They were produced before the court on Monday, when the investigating officer, Inspector Sheikh Bashir Ahmed of the Cyber and Special Crime Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB), sought seven days’ remand for each. After hearing both sides, the court granted four days’ remand for each accused.

The two were brought to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court at around 5pm and later produced before the magistrate under tight police security. During the hearing, defence lawyer Abdullah Al Mansur Ripon sought the cancellation of the remand plea and applied for bail. State counsel Harun Or Rashid argued in favour of remand.

According to the police remand application, the accused allegedly stayed at a residence in the Pallabi area and used two WhatsApp groups, named “Bangladesh Awami League Supporters Alpha # 1” and “BBM Transparency”, to create and circulate digital content described as anti-state and intended to incite violence.

The investigating officer alleged that the two used platforms named “Unity Care” and “Public Parliament” to maintain contact with former army chief General (retd) Aziz Ahmed, a former home minister and several other fugitive leaders. They allegedly worked towards reviving the Awami League and conspiring against the government. They have also been accused of attempting to create instability in the country through a Facebook page named “KalAajKal.com”.

The remand application further stated that the accused formed an organisation called “Bangabandhu Sena Parishad” in 2018 after expressing allegiance to then prime minister Sheikh Hasina at a roundtable discussion. According to the application, a 101-member committee was subsequently formed for the organisation. Police also said they had found information suggesting the accused maintained contacts with domestic and foreign intelligence agencies.

Investigators have sought their interrogation on five key issues. These include identifying the other accused and determining their whereabouts, identifying individuals allegedly involved in domestic and international conspiracies, collecting digital evidence and tracing the sources of illegal financing. The application also refers to the need to identify other websites or social media pages operated by the accused and uncover the central facts of the case.

The two officers were arrested on Sunday night following separate operations in Pallabi and the DOHS area of Banani in the capital. Inspector Ali Akbar of the DB’s Pallabi Zonal Team subsequently filed a case against them under the laws relating to sedition, counterterrorism and cybersecurity.

The allegations outlined in the remand application remain under investigation. The accused cannot be presumed guilty unless the allegations are established in court.