A Dhaka court has ordered seven days of questioning for former joint secretary Syed Jaglul Pasha in a case linked to a blockade and pepper spray attack outside Khaleda Zia's Gulshan residence.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Didarul Alam passed the order on Thursday following an application from the investigating officer, said Sub-Inspector Moktar Hossain of the Prosecution Division.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch (DB) arrested Pasha at his Bashundhara house around 1:30am on Tuesday.
He was produced before the court on Wednesday, where Inspector Anwar Hossain of DB's Gulshan zonal team, the case's investigating officer, sought 10 days for questioning.
The court sent him to jail and set Thursday for the hearing.
Pasha was brought to court wearing a helmet and bulletproof jacket, with handcuffs on. The gear was removed before he stood before the dock.
During the hearing, Inspector Anwar laid out the grounds for the application, with Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi arguing in favour of it.
He said, "Trucks loaded with sand were used to block [Khaleda] inside her Gulshan residence, preventing her from leaving.
“Pepper spray imported under the ‘fascist’ Hasina government was used in an attempt to kill her.
"[Pasha] was the chief architect behind these events. Questioning him will bring the true picture to light. His account will make clear who else was involved."
Defence lawyer Abul Kalam Azad sought bail instead, opposing the application.
He said: "In his 71 years, he [Pasha] has never been involved in politics. At the time of the incident, he was joint secretary at the public administration ministry. He retired on Mar 2, 2015.
"Had he been politically affiliated, he would not have retired as joint secretary; he would have retired as secretary. It's precisely because he holds no party affiliation that he retired at joint secretary level."
Azad added, "He [Pasha] knows nothing about this case. He was not present at the scene. He has no knowledge of these events.
"Questioning him will yield no information. I request the court reject the application and grant bail instead."
Faruqi responded, "Under this accused's supervision, forged documents were prepared in the Zia Orphanage Trust case. He also gave false testimony in that case."
After hearing both sides, the court ordered seven days of questioning for the suspect.
Pasha was seen smiling faintly as he stood in the dock during the hearing, and again while being escorted from court to the holding cell.
According to case details, on Dec 28, 2013, Pasha and 111 other named accused, along with 250 to 300 unidentified individuals armed with deadly weapons, gathered outside Khaleda's residence throughout the day.
The complaint alleges they assaulted BNP leaders and activists, carried out acts of sabotage, blocked roads and created panic to stop Khaleda from attending a scheduled rally.
It says that when the former prime minister prepared to leave for the rally at 9am on Dec 29, 2013, the accused blocked the road with sand-laden and other trucks, preventing her convoy from leaving despite repeated attempts.
The case also alleges that pepper spray, which it describes as prohibited, was used during the incident, leaving Khaleda and others with her injured.
Shariful Islam Shawan, a former joint general secretary of Rajshahi University Latif Hall unit Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal, filed the case with Gulshan Police Station on Oct 4, 2024.
Besides this case, Pasha also faces allegations of preparing forged documents and giving false testimony in court in the Zia Orphanage Trust case against Khaleda.
