Katakhali mayor put on 3-day remand
PBC News: A Rajshahi court on Monday placed the mayor of Rajshahi’s Katakhali Municipality Abbas Ali on a three-day remand in a case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA).
Judge of the Rajshahi Metropolitan Magistrate Court-2 Shankar Kumar passed the order when sub-inspector Shahabul Islam, also the investigating officer of the case, produced him before the court with a 10-day remand prayer, UNB reports.
The court also rejected the bail petition of Abbas.
Advocate Pervez Toufik Zihadi stood for the mayor while Advocate Aslam Sarkar, Mozaffar Hossain and Musabbirul Islam represented the petitioner.
On December 1, Abbas Ali, was detained by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) from a hotel in Dhaka.
The detention comes days after he was booked under the Digital Security Act (DSA) over his alleged derogatory remarks on Bangabandhu and announcement to stop the construction of a mural of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahmna in the city.
A RAB team conducted a drive at Razmoni Ishakha hotel in Dhaka and detained Abbas.
Mayor Abbas, in his second term as mayor, came under fire after an audio clip of his remarks on Bangabandhu went viral on social media recently.
“The Katakhali city gate will be built soon but the private contractor has submitted a design of Bangabandhu’s mural to be installed at the gate,” Abbas was heard as saying in the clip.
“It will be a sin if I allow construction of Bangabandhu’s mural… it is not right as per the Islamic Shariah laws.”
Abdul Momin, councillor of ward no 13 of Katakhali Municipality, lodged a complaint against Abbas under the Digital Security Act (DSA) at the Boalia police station, following which an FIR (first information report) was filed on that day.
Police arrested Liton, the personal assistant of Abbas, and following his confessional statement, cops came to know about the whereabouts of Abbas.
