The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka on Monday placed former chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda on four-day remand in a case filed over allegations of manipulating the 2018 national elections.
Huda, a freedom fighter, was placed on remand amid condemnations of his humiliation by a mob on Sunday just before and during his arrest.聽
Chief metropolitan magistrate Mustafizur Rahman passed the remand order as the police produced the former CEC before the court, seeking 10-day remand in the case filed on Sunday by聽 the Bangladesh Nationalist Party with the capital鈥檚 Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police.
Court officials said that a bail plea for him by the defence lawyer was rejected.
Political parties and rights activists, meanwhile, condemned the assault, disgrace and humiliation inflicted on KM Nurul Huda by a mob that had allegedly raided his home at Uttara in Dhaka city on Sunday before the police arrived.
The police detained former CEC Nurul Huda from his home Sunday evening, hours after the BNP had filed a case against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, three former chief election commissioners and 20 others for their roles in three controversial national elections held in 2014, 2018 and 2024.
Video footage that went viral on social media on Sunday evening showed a mob surrounding the former CEC at Uttara and putting a 鈥榞arland of shoes鈥� around his neck in presence of police.
The police later handed over him to the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
The police said that BNP鈥檚 volunteer wing Bangladesh Jatiytabadi Swechhasebak Dal Dhaka north city unit president Farid Hossain and his followers created the mob.
鈥榃e have also identified some other mob creators. We are trying to detain them,鈥� Uttara West police officer-in-charge Hafizur Rahman told 抖阴精品 on Monday.
BNP volunteer wing central committee general secretary Rajib Ahsan could not be reached over phone for comment.
The BNP, meanwhile, has 鈥榮trongly鈥� condemned the recent mob incident targeting former CEC Nurul Huda, saying that the party would take disciplinary action if any of its leaders or activists were found involved in the incident.
Its position in the incident was explained by party standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Monday.
鈥榃e do not believe in mob culture; we are relentlessly striving to establish rule of law,鈥� he said, stressing the need for transparency in judicial processes and respect for legal rights.
Rights group Ain O Salish Kendra in a statement on Monday condemned the 鈥榲iolent and disrespectful behaviour鈥� at the time when the police was detaining the former CEC.
Human Rights Forum Bangladesh in a statement on the day also condemned the incident, protesting against the organised assault on the former CEC.聽
Muktijuddha Mancha, a platform, in a statement denied the assault and humiliation of Huda, who was a sub-sector commander during the War of Independence.聽
Having referred to the mob violence perpetrated on Nurul Huda, the interim government鈥檚 press wing on Sunday night issued a statement in which it requested all not to take the law into their own hands.
It also said that law enforcers would identify the mob creators and take appropriate action against them.
Home adviser retired Lieutenant General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Monday said that the way the 鈥榤ob justice鈥� was carried out during the arrest of the former CEC 鈥榠s not acceptable鈥�, according to a report of the state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.
鈥楾he incident involving CEC Nurul Huda is completely unacceptable in any manner. The attack on Nurul Huda was carried out in the presence of law enforcement personnel. If any member of the law enforcement agencies is found involved in the incident, legal action will be taken after investigation,鈥� he told reporters after visiting the Horticulture Centre in Mouchak at Kaliakair upazila in Gazipur.
